What Does a Pipefitter Do?
Whether a hospital needs steam for its sterilizers or a lab needs chilled water for its equipment, both rely on high-pressure pipe systems that most people never see. Pipefitters install and repair that piping in plants, hospitals and campus steam tunnels, and some employers call them steamfitters or utility piping specialists.
Also known as: Utility Piping Specialist, Steamfitter, Lead Utility Piping Specialist, Steam Equipment Mechanic
Other Job Titles for This Work
Workers in this occupation report titles such as Drain Technician, Fire Sprinkler Service Technician, Pipe Welder, Plumber, Plumbing Installer, Residential Plumber, Service Plumber, Sprinkler Fitter.
Pipefitter Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of a pipefitter include:
- Lay out and install steam, condensate, chilled water and compressed air piping from isometric drawings.
- Cut, thread and groove steel pipe, and join it by welding, flanging or mechanical couplings.
- Test and replace steam traps across the distribution system to stop energy losses.
- Repack or replace valves, expansion joints and pressure-reducing stations in steam tunnels and vaults.
- Pressure-test new lines with water or air and repair leaks before insulation goes on.
- Hang and brace pipe with rods, clamps and supports sized for the load.
- Isolate, drain and lock out sections of pipe before repairs, following confined-space rules.
- Rig and move heavy valves and pipe sections with chain hoists and come-alongs.
- Respond to steam leaks and broken chilled water lines, day or night.
- Mark up drawings with field changes so the next crew knows exactly where each line runs.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as a pipefitter, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Reading isometric and piping drawings
- Pipe threading, grooving and fitting
- Welding qualification for pressure piping
- Steam system knowledge: traps, reducing valves and condensate return
- Rigging and hoisting
- Confined-space and lockout safety
- Math for offsets, angles and pipe lengths
- Stamina for tunnels, vaults and mechanical rooms
Education and Training
Some states and cities require pipefitters to hold a license, so check the local rules early. The training itself is a paid apprenticeship, often run by a union local or a contractor group, that takes applicants with a high school diploma. Welding courses at a technical college are a smart addition, since so much fitting work involves joining pipe.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: $50,190 - $85,110 per year, with a median of $63,800.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters.
BLS projects employment of plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters to grow about 7 percent from 2025 to 2035. The agency also expects about 42,000 openings a year across the group, many of them to replace fitters who retire. Work in new construction often is tied to the economy, but hospital and campus plants need fitters in good years and bad, which makes their maintenance shops a steady place to build a career.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters.
Pipefitter Pay Range
| Earners | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $44,150 |
| Bottom 25% earn less than | $50,190 |
| Median (half earn more, half less) | $63,800 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $85,110 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $108,420 |
Highest-Paying States for Pipefitters
The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are District of Columbia ($101,020), Illinois ($99,950), Oregon ($97,050), Minnesota ($94,410), Alaska ($93,920). Pay is lowest in Idaho ($52,380), South Dakota ($51,620), Arkansas ($48,660).
Median pay in all 51 states with BLS data
| State | Median annual pay |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $58,670 |
| Alaska | $93,920 |
| Arizona | $62,070 |
| Arkansas | $48,660 |
| California | $72,830 |
| Colorado | $63,240 |
| Connecticut | $77,280 |
| Delaware | $64,720 |
| District of Columbia | $101,020 |
| Florida | $52,910 |
| Georgia | $57,200 |
| Hawaii | $78,060 |
| Idaho | $52,380 |
| Illinois | $99,950 |
| Indiana | $76,320 |
| Iowa | $63,890 |
| Kansas | $65,220 |
| Kentucky | $64,160 |
| Louisiana | $63,680 |
| Maine | $64,000 |
| Maryland | $65,400 |
| Massachusetts | $93,880 |
| Michigan | $80,190 |
| Minnesota | $94,410 |
| Mississippi | $55,480 |
| Missouri | $66,790 |
| Montana | $79,960 |
| Nebraska | $60,970 |
| Nevada | $61,610 |
| New Hampshire | $66,810 |
| New Jersey | $78,240 |
| New Mexico | $61,440 |
| New York | $77,490 |
| North Carolina | $57,080 |
| North Dakota | $63,560 |
| Ohio | $63,330 |
| Oklahoma | $57,970 |
| Oregon | $97,050 |
| Pennsylvania | $68,080 |
| Rhode Island | $76,470 |
| South Carolina | $53,940 |
| South Dakota | $51,620 |
| Tennessee | $58,600 |
| Texas | $59,840 |
| Utah | $61,900 |
| Vermont | $62,170 |
| Virginia | $60,470 |
| Washington | $81,030 |
| West Virginia | $56,980 |
| Wisconsin | $81,210 |
| Wyoming | $62,410 |
What the Work Is Like
O*NET surveys people who work as plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:
- 96% spend more than half the workday on their feet
- 95% use their hands on tools, objects or controls for more than half the day
- 91% wear safety gear such as gloves, safety glasses or a hard hat every day
- 74% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
- 70% spend more than half the day walking or moving around
- 70% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
- 61% have a lot of freedom to make decisions
Education Workers Say the Job Needs
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Post-secondary certificate | 43% |
| High school diploma or GED | 35% |
| Associate's degree | 9% |
| Less than high school | 8% |
Tools and Software Pipefitters Use
Tools and equipment
Software
Is This Job a Good Fit for You?
People who do well in this job tend to enjoy hands-on work with tools, machines or the outdoors as well as organized work with data, records and clear procedures.
Skills O*NET rates most important: Critical Thinking, Troubleshooting, Repairing, Judgment and Decision Making, Monitoring, Speaking.
Knowledge areas used most: Building and Construction, Mechanical, Design, Mathematics, Customer and Personal Service.
Preparation: O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 3 of 5, which means medium preparation.
Related Careers
These jobs use similar skills, according to O*NET's related-occupation data:
Applying for a Pipefitter Job
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Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
- O*NET 30.1 Database, occupation 47-2152.00 (Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters). View on O*NET OnLine.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. The Job Explorer has modified some of the information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these changes.