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

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

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

Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
Median pay · BLS OEWS
$62,970
$39,270
Employment · BLS OEWS
455,940
43,640
AI exposure (percentile) · task overlap, not automation
20th pct
14th pct

At a glance

Dimension Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
Median pay $62,970 $39,270
Employment 455,940 43,640
Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection About average (+4.5%) About average (+4.9%)
Annual openings · BLS projection 44,000 4,900
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 · 14th pct
Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk 18th pct · 15% of tasks 2nd pct · 9% 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: Building and Construction, Mechanical, Design, Mathematics, Problem Sensitivity, Finger Dexterity, Near Vision, Customer and Personal Service, Critical Thinking, Deductive Reasoning, Manual Dexterity, Inductive Reasoning, Trunk Strength, Administration and Management, Judgment and Decision Making, Oral Comprehension, Category Flexibility, Visualization, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Engineering and Technology, Public Safety and Security, Monitoring, Oral Expression, Information Ordering, Selective Attention, Control Precision, Multilimb Coordination, Extent Flexibility, Coordination, Complex Problem Solving.

Specific to Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters

  • Far Vision
  • Troubleshooting
  • Repairing
  • Physics
  • Speaking
  • Operations Monitoring
  • Operation and Control
  • Time Management

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

  • English Language
  • Static Strength
  • Speech Recognition
  • Active Listening
  • Speech Clarity
  • Education and Training
  • Stamina
  • Depth Perception

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 Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters

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

    Full profiles

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

    APA

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

    BibTeX 
    @misc{singulariki-plumbers-pipefitters-and-steamfitters-vs-helpers-pipelayers-plumbers-pipefitters-and-steamfitters,
  title  = {Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters vs Helpers--Pipelayers, 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/plumbers-pipefitters-and-steamfitters-vs-helpers-pipelayers-plumbers-pipefitters-and-steamfitters}
}

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