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Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters vs Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators

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

A factual, source-backed comparison of Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters and Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators 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 Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators
Median pay · BLS OEWS
$62,970
$75,190
Employment · BLS OEWS
455,940
30,780
AI exposure (percentile) · task overlap, not automation
20th pct
28th pct

At a glance

Dimension Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators
Median pay $62,970 $75,190
Employment 455,940 30,780
Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection About average (+4.5%) About average (+2.2%)
Annual openings · BLS projection 44,000 3,800
Typical education · O*NET Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. 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 · 20th pct Low · 28th pct
Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk 18th pct · 15% of tasks 32nd pct · 20% 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, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Engineering and Technology, Public Safety and Security, Physics, Monitoring, Oral Expression, Information Ordering, Selective Attention, Control Precision, Multilimb Coordination, Coordination, Complex Problem Solving, Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Written Comprehension.

Specific to Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters

  • Building and Construction
  • Design
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Trunk Strength
  • Far Vision
  • Administration and Management
  • Visualization
  • Extent Flexibility

Specific to Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators

  • Chemistry
  • Active Listening
  • Equipment Maintenance
  • Perceptual Speed
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Active Learning
  • Quality Control Analysis
  • Reaction Time

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: Web platform development software , Spreadsheet software , Office suite software , Word processing software , Analytical or scientific software , Data base user interface and query software , Electronic mail software , Facilities management software .

Specific to Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters

Specific to Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators

Full profiles

This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters or Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators — 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 Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators." 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-stationary-engineers-and-boiler-operators

APA

Singulariki. (2026). Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters vs Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/plumbers-pipefitters-and-steamfitters-vs-stationary-engineers-and-boiler-operators

BibTeX 
@misc{singulariki-plumbers-pipefitters-and-steamfitters-vs-stationary-engineers-and-boiler-operators,
  title  = {Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters vs Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators},
  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-stationary-engineers-and-boiler-operators}
}

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