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Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters vs Boilermakers

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

A factual, source-backed comparison of 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.”

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

At a glance

Dimension Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters Boilermakers
Median pay $62,970 $73,340
Employment 455,940 10,170
Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection About average (+4.5%) Declining (-2.4%)
Annual openings · BLS projection 44,000 800
Typical education · O*NET Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
AI exposure · published exposure studies Low · 20th pct Low · 7th pct
Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk 18th pct · 15% 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: Mechanical, Mathematics, Problem Sensitivity, Finger Dexterity, Near Vision, Critical Thinking, Deductive Reasoning, Manual Dexterity, Inductive Reasoning, Troubleshooting, Repairing, Judgment and Decision Making, Oral Comprehension, Category Flexibility, Visualization, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Monitoring, Oral Expression, Information Ordering, Selective Attention, Control Precision, Multilimb Coordination, Speaking, Complex Problem Solving, Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Time Management, Written Comprehension, Flexibility of Closure.

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

Specific to Boilermakers

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

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 , Computer aided design CAD software , Electronic mail software .

Specific to Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters

Specific to Boilermakers

Full profiles

This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for 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. "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; 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/plumbers-pipefitters-and-steamfitters-vs-boilermakers

APA

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

BibTeX 
@misc{singulariki-plumbers-pipefitters-and-steamfitters-vs-boilermakers,
  title  = {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; 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/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.