Occupational Employment and Wages, November 2004

47-2151 Pipelayers

Lay pipe for storm or sanitation sewers, drains, and water mains. Perform any combination of the following tasks: grade trenches or culverts, position pipe, or seal joints. Exclude "Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers" (51-4121).

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
54,120 2.8 % $15.45 $32,130 0.9 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $9.19 $11.04 $13.68 $18.91 $25.07
Annual Wage (2) $19,120 $22,970 $28,460 $39,340 $52,150

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Utility system construction 21,360 $15.19 $31,600
Local government (OES designation) 11,690 $14.67 $30,510
Other specialty trade contractors 5,790 $15.53 $32,310
Building equipment contractors 5,730 $16.36 $34,020
Highway, street, and bridge construction 3,100 $15.45 $32,140

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Power generation and supply 60 $25.69 $53,430
Architectural and engineering services (7) $23.33 $48,520
Colleges and universities 30 $19.70 $40,980
Water, sewage and other systems 1,010 $18.93 $39,370
Natural gas distribution 310 $17.66 $36,740

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Mississippi 1,380 $11.09 $23,070 0.125%
Georgia 3,480 $12.18 $25,340 0.090%
North Carolina 3,180 $11.83 $24,610 0.084%
Idaho 480 $15.81 $32,890 0.082%
South Carolina 1,460 $13.48 $28,040 0.081%

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Illinois 890 $26.39 $54,900 0.016%
Alaska 30 $26.33 $54,760 0.010%
New Jersey 900 $23.73 $49,360 0.023%
New York 540 $22.66 $47,130 0.007%
Wisconsin 530 $22.23 $46,230 0.020%

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Jackson, TN MSA 110 $10.52 $21,890 0.188%
Jacksonville, NC MSA 60 $11.82 $24,580 0.151%
Sherman-Denison, TX MSA 60 $11.89 $24,740 0.142%
Myrtle Beach, SC MSA 150 $11.92 $24,800 0.138%
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX MSA 260 $7.88 $16,400 0.137%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Chicago, IL PMSA 470 $30.73 $63,910 0.012%
San Francisco, CA PMSA (7) $29.05 $60,420 (7)
Tacoma, WA PMSA 240 $28.67 $59,620 0.098%
Newark, NJ PMSA (7) $28.03 $58,290 (7)
Ventura, CA PMSA 180 $27.01 $56,180 0.061%

About November 2004 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) Estimate not released.

All Construction and Extraction Occupations

November 2004 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2004 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2004 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2004 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download November 2004 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: November 9, 2005