Headline risk
0%
Very Low RiskPlumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
United States AI Work Index tracks this occupation on the shared structural baseline and then layers on local demand resilience, wages, and confidence.
Why This Score
Share of job tasks that overlap with current AI capabilities
Median annual wage
Projected employment change over 10 years
Typical preparation needed for this occupation
Occupation profile
Assemble, install, alter, and repair pipelines or pipe systems that carry water, steam, air, or other liquids or gases. May install heating and cooling equipment and mechanical control systems. Includes sprinkler fitters.
Task evidence
100% weighted task match · 2% effective coverage
Scores combine AI task overlap, human advantages, and local demand. How it works
United States Now
Median Wage
USD 62,970
Employment 2024
504.5K
Projected Change (2024–34)
4.5%
Openings (2024–34)
44.0K
Wage distribution
Demand outlook
Employment of plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters is projected to grow 4 percent from 2024 to 2034, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
Role Profile
Tasks
- 1. Test operation or functionality of mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and control systems. AI use: 0%
- 2. Assemble pipe sections, tubing, or fittings, using couplings, clamps, screws, bolts, cement, plastic solvent, caulking, or soldering, brazing, or welding equipment. AI use: 0%
- 3. Locate and mark the position of pipe installations, connections, passage holes, or fixtures in structures, using measuring instruments such as rulers or levels. AI use: 0%
- 4. Cut, thread, or hammer pipes to specifications, using tools such as saws, cutting torches, pipe threaders, or pipe benders. AI use: 0%
- 5. Install underground storm, sanitary, or water piping systems, extending piping as needed to connect fixtures and plumbing. AI use: 0%
- 6. Review blueprints, building codes, or specifications to determine work details or procedures. AI use: 95%
Technologies
Requirements
Work context
Worker profile
Median age 40.2 · 624K employed
Under 25: 14% · 25–54: 68% · 55+: 18%
Related
No direct US role match is available yet for this occupation.
Source coverage
11/11 source families · O*NET 30.2 / OEWS 2024 / ORS 2025 / OOH 2025-08-28 / Projections 2024-34 / CPS 2025 / Anthropic task penetration
Mapping quality
crosswalk_exact · employment series present
Narrative & sources
Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters install and repair piping fixtures and systems.
Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters work in factories, homes, businesses, and other places where there are pipes and related systems. Plumbers are often on call for emergencies, so evening and weekend work is common.
Most plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters learn on the job through an apprenticeship. Some attend a vocational-technical school before receiving on-the-job training. Most states require plumbers to be licensed.
The median annual wage for plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters was $62,970 in May 2024.
Employment of plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters is projected to grow 4 percent from 2024 to 2034, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
Published limitations
This page shows the local country layer, not realised individual job outcomes. The global structural baseline is shared across countries; only the local demand and wage layer changes here.
Built from O*NET occupation descriptions, task statements, technology skills, work context, Job Zones, Anthropic task penetration, BLS OEWS wages, BLS projection tables, BLS ORS requirements, BLS OOH narrative content, BLS skills data, and BLS CPS occupation age tables.