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 2023

Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	480	35	$38.89/hr	$32.37/hr	$33.51/hr	$40.15/hr	$42.84/hr	$44.66/hr

Leading Industries for Pipelayers

Industry	OES Employment (Statewide)	OES Median Wage (Statewide)
Construction	790	$39.43/hr
Public Administration	N/A	N/A

Other Regional Data for Pipelayers

Geography	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2020-2030
Duluth MN-WI MSA	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
Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
St Cloud MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Northwest Balance of State	N/A	N/A	N/A
Northeast Balance of State	N/A	N/A	N/A
Northeast Minnesota	N/A	N/A	N/A
Rochester MN MSA	30	$38.78/hr	N/A
Southeast Balance of State	40	$38.26/hr	N/A
Northwest Minnesota	50	$38.03/hr	N/A
Southeast Minnesota	50	$38.78/hr	N/A
Fargo ND-MN MSA	60	$24.86/hr	N/A
Southwest Balance of State	60	$38.47/hr	N/A
Southwest Minnesota	80	$37.72/hr	N/A
Central Minnesota	140	$38.83/hr	-0.8%
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	480	$40.15/hr	0.2%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA	570	$40.15/hr	N/A
Minnesota	830	$39.31/hr	0.7%

Related Occupations

Occupations	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2020-2030
Helpers--Carpenters	190	$19.88/hr	-1.0%
Carpenters	17,190	$29.40/hr	1.3%
Maintenance Workers, Machinery	1,710	$28.86/hr	12.6%
Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators	400	$23.23/hr	0.0%

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.