Pipefitters earn a national median of $63,800/yr ($30.67/hr) per BLS OEWS May 2025 (SOC 47-2152, the code covering plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters). The bottom 10% earn about $44,150 and the top 10% over $108,420. Union classification drives almost all of that spread: a UA apprentice earns near $50,190, a journeyman fitter sits at the $63,800 median, a welder-qualified fitter runs to roughly $85,110, and a foreman on industrial work clears $108,000. Illinois ($99,950) and Alaska ($93,920) pay the most. → Full pipefitter career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $63,800 blends every experience level, apprentice through master. For pay by license level alone, see Verified Placement Data below.
US Pipefitter Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2026
GlobalCybers Verified Placement Data · last verified July 2026
BLS OEWS is the most reliable public salary source, but it lags real market pay by 1–2 years — and it doesn't break out license level. Pick a level to see how published pay compares to actual verified placements made through GlobalCybers' nationwide pipefitter network.
All verified medians: GlobalCybers nationwide pipefitter placements, trailing 12 months, updated July 2026. Tap a level below for the full gap breakdown.
Where the gap comes from — Journeyman Pipefitter
Data time lag +2.0% — OEWS publishes ~10 months late on a 3-yr sample; industrial mechanical demand tightened over the same window.
Turnaround OT and per-diem excluded by OES +3.0% — Shutdown and outage overtime plus travelling per-diem is the largest driver of this gap and sits outside the base BLS wage.
New-hire (switcher) premium +1.0% — BLS averages incumbents; fitters switching to industrial contracts command more.
Verified-candidate selection +1.1% — Classification-verified, safety-screened fitters in our network sit in the upper half of the distribution.
Journeyman fitters run meaningfully above BLS, turnaround overtime and per-diem simply are not captured in a base annual wage.
Company names withheld per employer confidentiality agreements. Roles shown are a representative sample, not an exhaustive list.
Methodology & Sources
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2026, SOC 47-2152, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Verified (GlobalCybers): The median base wage of candidates GlobalCybers placed into pipefitterroles nationwide, by license level, over the trailing 12 months. Every placement requires a confirmed state license record and a signed offer letter before it's counted — no self-reported or unverified salary data is included.
Sample sizes vary (n=5–27 depending on license level) because this reflects our own placement volume, not a market-wide survey — treat it as a directional, real-world data point alongside BLS, not a replacement for it.
Pay by Career Level
License level sets your pay floor. Each stage below shows the national BLS-aligned range and median, apprentice through business owner.
Qualification ROI: Moving Apprentice → Journeyman adds a median $13,610/yr; adding 6G pipe-welding qualification adds a further $21,300, and foreman another $22,900. GlobalCybers covers exam & renewal fees after placement →
By State
BLS OEWS state medians. The top tier is UA industrial and power work with a full fringe package; the bottom tier is open-shop residential plumbing under the same SOC code.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to Illinois, the top-paying state ($99,950). See all 51 state salary guides →
By Metro
BLS MSA medians for the largest pipefitter metros — where union density, sector mix and construction demand set the local rate.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2026. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Pipefitters sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2026. Verify pipefitter wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
The medians above are gross base wage. Here are two real scenarios line by line, a non-union fitter in a no-income-tax state and a UA journeyman in Illinois, where a flat 4.95% state income tax and union dues both apply.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
How to Earn More
Adding pipe-welding qualification to fitting is worth roughly +$21,300/yr and takes you from the $63,800 median to the $85,110 P75. Nothing else in this trade moves your rate as far.
Illinois ($99,950), Alaska ($93,920) and Massachusetts ($93,880) run $30K to $36K above the national median on UA scale plus a full fringe package, and Chicago's metro median is $103,380.
Refinery turnarounds and power-plant outages add 20+ overtime hours at 1.5x plus per-diem, worth +$10K to $25K/yr. It is how fitters cross from the median into the top decile of $108,420.
Foreman and general foreman median $108,000, roughly +$22,900 over a welder-qualified fitter. Schedule ownership and weld-map sign-off are what the step actually buys.
ASME Section IX process piping (+$14,600) and medical-gas installer certification (+$8,100) open work that most fitters cannot legally touch, and they stack with 6G.
FAQ
Set your intent, matching jobs come to you. No applying.
A roadmap to your next licence tier and higher pay band.
Once placed, we cover all certification, licence & career-guide fees.
Hiring pipefitters?
GlobalCybers verifies active state licenses, trade certifications, Intent and right-to-work status before any candidate reaches your portal. Flat $2,999/mo RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing), up to 3 concurrent roles, or a free trial (pay on hire). 90-day written guarantee.
Related · Pipefitter
Salary data, licensing, interview prep, and hiring, all cross-linked so you (and search engines) can move through the full pipefitter cluster.