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Career

Pipelayers

Typical education: High school diplomaModerate pressure

What they do

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.

Kinds of work

  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.

Moderate pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $49,000 Median per year · $23.56/hr Most earn $37,730–$80,170

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Connect pipe pieces and seal joints, using welding equipment, cement, or glue.
  • Install or repair sanitary or stormwater sewer structures or pipe systems.
  • Check slopes for conformance to requirements, using levels or lasers.
  • Lay out pipe routes, following written instructions or blueprints and coordinating layouts with supervisors.
  • Tap and drill holes into pipes to introduce auxiliary lines or devices.
  • Operate mechanized equipment, such as pickup trucks, rollers, tandem dump trucks, front-end loaders, or backhoes.

Job outlook

United States
3% fewer jobs by 2035, declining · about 2,100 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Local government, excluding education and hospitals17.8%
  • Other specialty trade contractors17.7%
  • Highway, street, and bridge construction6.6%
  • Plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors5.8%
  • Nonresidential building construction3.4%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: High school diplomaExperience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Pipelayer is usually not a job you start straight out of school. Most people first work as a helper or construction laborer for about 1 to 2 years, learning trench work and how to handle and join pipe, before working as a pipelayer.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Finish high school with math and shop or technical classes, which help with measuring, reading plans, and working outdoors safely.

  2. Construction Laborer

    1-3 months

    Learn jobsite basics like safety rules, tool handling, and working as part of a crew, which prepares you for more skilled trench and pipe work.

  3. Helper, Pipelayers and Plumbers

    6 months to 1 year

    Assist experienced pipelayers with digging, positioning pipe, and sealing joints, building the hands-on skills needed to do the job on your own.

  4. Pipelayer

    Ongoing once you have about 1-2 years of related experience

    Grade trenches or culverts, position storm or sanitation sewer pipe and water mains, and seal joints, often with a crew and equipment.

Where it can lead

  1. Construction Foreman

    Several years as a pipelayer or crew member of experience first

    You lead a crew, plan daily work, check quality, and keep the job safe and on schedule, which takes strong communication and an understanding of the full project.

  2. Plumber, Pipefitter, or Steamfitter

    4 to 6 years of related experience, usually through an apprenticeship or certificate of experience first

    You move into installing and repairing pipe systems inside buildings, which requires formal training and a license in many places.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take math and shop or technical classesGeometry, measurement, and shop classes build the skills you use to read plans, measure trenches, and cut and fit pipe.
  • Get a summer or part-time job in construction or landscapingOutdoor manual work teaches you how a jobsite runs and shows employers you can handle physical labor.
  • Join a skills or trades club, such as an FFA or a technical education clubThese groups build teamwork and hands-on skills, and often include tours or events with local trade workers.
  • Volunteer on a community or habitat building projectHelping with building or repair work gives you practical experience with tools, teamwork, and following safety procedures.
  • Learn basic safety habitsKnowing how to work safely around trenches, heavy equipment, and tools is valued by any construction employer.

In college

  • Take math, physics, or engineering coursesClasses in geometry, surveying, or basic physics help you understand grades, slopes, and how fluids move through pipe.
  • Work a campus or summer job in construction or maintenanceHands-on work on a crew helps you build experience that employers look for when hiring helpers and laborers.
  • Complete an OSHA 10-hour construction safety courseThis short certification shows employers you know jobsite safety, which can help you get hired for entry-level trench work.
  • Join a construction, engineering, or trades student organizationThese groups offer networking, guest speakers, and sometimes job fair connections with local contractors.
  • Get a valid driver's license and learn to operate equipmentMany pipelayer jobs use trucks and heavy equipment, so a driver's license and any equipment training you can get make you more hireable.

Tips for getting started

  • Ask a local pipeline, utility, or excavation contractor if they hire helpers or laborers with no experience, and say you want to learn the trade.
  • Take a basic safety course such as OSHA 10-hour construction training, which many employers value for entry-level construction jobs.
  • Get comfortable with physical work, outdoor conditions, and following safety rules, since these matter as much as technical skill on a trench crew.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

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