Occupational Employment Statistics

DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

47-2151 Pipelayers

Occupational Description:
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. Excludes “Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers" (51-4121).

Occupational Employment Statistics(OES) Wage Data
First Quarter 2026

Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Minnesota	510	149	$42.02/hr	$32.90/hr	$37.45/hr	$40.48/hr	$46.93/hr	$50.05/hr

Leading Industries for Pipelayers

Industry	OES Employment (Statewide)	OES Median Wage (Statewide)
Construction	450	$41.23/hr
Manufacturing	N/A	N/A
Trade, Transportation and Utilities	N/A	N/A
Public Administration	N/A	N/A

Other Regional Data for Pipelayers

Geography	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Southeast Minnesota	N/A	N/A	N/A
Duluth MN-WI MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Northeast Balance of State	N/A	N/A	N/A
Grand Forks ND-MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
La Crosse WI-MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Rochester MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Northeast Minnesota	N/A	N/A	0.0%
St Cloud MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Northwest Balance of State	N/A	N/A	N/A
Southwest Balance of State	20	$34.17/hr	N/A
Southeast Balance of State	20	$39.19/hr	N/A
Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA	20	$38.95/hr	N/A
Northwest Minnesota	40	$39.10/hr	4.1%
Southwest Minnesota	40	$38.95/hr	-1.6%
Fargo ND-MN MSA	60	$23.57/hr	N/A
Central Minnesota	90	$39.59/hr	2.9%
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	280	$46.88/hr	0.3%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA	320	$40.50/hr	N/A
Minnesota	510	$40.48/hr	1.4%

Related Occupations

Occupations	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change -
Helpers--Carpenters	N/A	N/A	N/A
Carpenters	14,930	$32.07/hr	4.4%
Maintenance Workers, Machinery	730	$31.16/hr	12.7%
Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators	760	$24.51/hr	3.6%

Task for Pipelayers

Operate mechanized equipment, such as pickup trucks, rollers, tandem dump trucks, front-end loaders, or backhoes.
Grade or level trench bases, using tamping machines or hand tools.
Lay out pipe routes, following written instructions or blueprints and coordinating layouts with supervisors.
Dig trenches to desired or required depths, by hand or using trenching tools.
Cut pipes to required lengths.
Cover pipes with earth or other materials.
Tap and drill holes into pipes to introduce auxiliary lines or devices.
Connect pipe pieces and seal joints, using welding equipment, cement, or glue.
Check slopes for conformance to requirements, using levels or lasers.
Align and position pipes to prepare them for welding or sealing.