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Boilermakers vs Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters

Side-by-side · O*NET · BLS · AI-exposure research · Anthropic Economic Index

A factual, source-backed comparison of Boilermakers and Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters on the dimensions both occupations carry. Every figure is a position within an independent published dataset — not a verdict on which job is better, safer, or more “future-proof.”

Boilermakers Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
Median pay · BLS OEWS
$73,340
$62,970
Employment · BLS OEWS
10,170
455,940
AI exposure (percentile) · task overlap, not automation
7th pct
20th pct

At a glance

Dimension Boilermakers Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
Median pay $73,340 $62,970
Employment 10,170 455,940
Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection Declining (-2.4%) About average (+4.5%)
Annual openings · BLS projection 800 44,000
Typical education · O*NET Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
AI exposure · published exposure studies Low · 7th pct Low · 20th pct
Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk 35th pct · 21% of tasks 18th pct · 15% of tasks
Observed AI use · Anthropic Economic Index — —
Mostly remote-capable · Dingel–Neiman No No

Pay and employment are BLS OEWS estimates; outlook and openings are BLS 2024–2034 projections; AI exposure and observed-use figures come from separate research and reflect exposure and usage, not predictions that either job will disappear. Compare like with like.

Skills

Shared: Mechanical, Operations Monitoring, Control Precision, Near Vision, Problem Sensitivity, Deductive Reasoning, Operation and Control, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Manual Dexterity, Finger Dexterity, Multilimb Coordination, Critical Thinking, Inductive Reasoning, Mathematics, Troubleshooting, Repairing, Oral Comprehension, Speaking, Monitoring, Complex Problem Solving, Judgment and Decision Making, Time Management, Written Comprehension, Oral Expression, Information Ordering, Category Flexibility, Flexibility of Closure, Visualization, Selective Attention.

Specific to Boilermakers

  • English Language
  • Equipment Maintenance
  • Quality Control Analysis
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Active Listening
  • Active Learning
  • Equipment Selection
  • Written Expression

Specific to Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters

  • Building and Construction
  • Design
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Trunk Strength
  • Far Vision
  • Administration and Management
  • Engineering and Technology
  • Public Safety and Security

Knowledge, skills & abilities O*NET rates as important for each occupation. “Shared” are common to both; the columns list what is distinctive to each (top by the order O*NET surfaces).

Tools & technology

Shared: Computer aided design CAD software , Spreadsheet software , Office suite software , Electronic mail software , Word processing software .

Specific to Boilermakers

Specific to Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters

Full profiles

This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Boilermakers or Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters — tasks, the full skill graph, tools, work context, preparation, wages by percentile, industries, AI exposure and the AI work map.

More comparisons

Related occupations you can place side by side on the same sourced scale.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

Cite this page
Plain

Singulariki. "Boilermakers vs Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/compare/boilermakers-vs-plumbers-pipefitters-and-steamfitters

APA

Singulariki. (2026). Boilermakers vs Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/boilermakers-vs-plumbers-pipefitters-and-steamfitters

BibTeX 
@misc{singulariki-boilermakers-vs-plumbers-pipefitters-and-steamfitters,
  title  = {Boilermakers vs Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/compare/boilermakers-vs-plumbers-pipefitters-and-steamfitters}
}

Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.