How much do underground utility workers make in 2026?
Underground utility workers are counted in the BLS pipelayers series: OEWS May 2025 gives the SOC 47-2151 national median as $49,000 a year ($23.56 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $37,730 and the top 10% at $80,170. The work is installing water, sewer, storm, gas and conduit systems below ground: shoring and benching the trench, bedding and laying pipe to line and grade, jointing and testing, and backfilling and compacting to specification. Pay separates on grade competence and confined space capability. A crew member who can set laser or GPS grade, read a profile and lay gravity sewer to a tenth of a percent slope is worth considerably more than one who handles pipe, because a sewer laid off grade must be dug up. Above that sit crew leads who own the pipe schedule and testing, and specialists in trenchless methods, tie-ins to live mains and confined space vault work. Note the series shows a projected 4.1% decline, which reflects mechanisation and trenchless installation replacing hand-laid pipe rather than a shrinking need for buried infrastructure. Employment is projected to change by -4.1% through 2034 with roughly 2,400 openings a year. → Full underground utility worker career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $49,000 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Underground Utility Workers earn a national median $49,000/yr ($23.56/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-2151); the P10 to P90 range is $37,730 to $80,170.
- The BLS pipelayers series shows a $49,000 median within a $37,730 to $80,170 band for underground utility installation work.
- Grade competence is the pay divider: setting laser or GPS grade and laying gravity sewer to specified slope is what separates a pipe handler from a pipelayer.
- The projected 4.1% decline reflects mechanisation and trenchless installation rather than falling demand for buried water, sewer and conduit infrastructure.
US Underground Utility Worker Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do underground utility workers earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 47-2151; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-2151, 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.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does an underground utility worker earn at each career stage?
Underground utility pay follows grade skill, confined space capability and responsibility for the pipe run. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 47-2151.
By State
Which states pay underground utility workers the most in 2026?
State figures are modeled estimates — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers salary-calculator state wage index — not BLS state observations. Underground utility earnings are driven by public infrastructure funding: states and municipalities with active water, sewer and lead service line replacement programmes pay prevailing-wage rates on that work, which lifts real earnings well above general construction labour.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($56,350), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay underground utility workers the most?
Metro figures are modeled — national median times state wage index times published metro index — not BLS MSA observations. Urban utility work pays a real premium because it is congested: existing services, hand digging near located facilities, traffic control, night permits and deep excavation with shoring all slow production and raise the rate.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise an underground utility worker’s pay the most?
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
How does underground utility worker pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Underground Utility Workers sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify underground utility worker wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does an underground utility worker actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Underground Utility Worker Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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