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Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters vs Boilermakers

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

A factual, source-backed comparison of Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters and Boilermakers 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.”

Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters Boilermakers
Median pay · BLS OEWS
$39,270
$73,340
Employment · BLS OEWS
43,640
10,170
AI exposure (percentile) · task overlap, not automation
14th pct
7th pct

At a glance

Dimension Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters Boilermakers
Median pay $39,270 $73,340
Employment 43,640 10,170
Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection About average (+4.9%) Declining (-2.4%)
Annual openings · BLS projection 4,900 800
Typical education · O*NET Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
AI exposure · published exposure studies Low · 14th pct Low · 7th pct
Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk 2nd pct · 9% of tasks 35th pct · 21% 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: Manual Dexterity, Mechanical, Mathematics, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Multilimb Coordination, English Language, Oral Comprehension, Problem Sensitivity, Near Vision, Visualization, Oral Expression, Information Ordering, Finger Dexterity, Control Precision, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Judgment and Decision Making, Deductive Reasoning, Category Flexibility, Inductive Reasoning, Selective Attention, Active Learning, Complex Problem Solving.

Specific to Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters

  • Building and Construction
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Trunk Strength
  • Extent Flexibility
  • Administration and Management
  • Static Strength
  • Speech Recognition
  • Design

Specific to Boilermakers

  • Operations Monitoring
  • Operation and Control
  • Equipment Maintenance
  • Troubleshooting
  • Repairing
  • Quality Control Analysis
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Speaking

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: Spreadsheet software , Office suite software , Word processing software .

Specific to Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters

    Specific to Boilermakers

    Full profiles

    This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters or Boilermakers — 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. "Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters vs Boilermakers." 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; 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/helpers-pipelayers-plumbers-pipefitters-and-steamfitters-vs-boilermakers

    APA

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

    BibTeX 
    @misc{singulariki-helpers-pipelayers-plumbers-pipefitters-and-steamfitters-vs-boilermakers,
  title  = {Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters vs Boilermakers},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; 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/helpers-pipelayers-plumbers-pipefitters-and-steamfitters-vs-boilermakers}
}

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