# Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors

> National industry (NAICS 238220) — This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in installing and servicing plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning equipment.  Contractors in this industry may provide both parts and labor when performing work.  The work performed may include new work, additions, alterations, maintenance, and repairs.

Illustrative Examples:

Cooling tower installation
Heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) contractors
Duct work (e.g., cooling, dust collection, exhaust, heating, ventilation) installation
Lawn sprinkler system installation
Fire sprinkler system installation
Mechanical contractors
Fireplace, natural gas, installation
Refrigeration system (e.g., commercial, industrial, scientific) installation
Furnace installation
Sewer hookup and connection, building


Cross-References. Establishments primarily engaged in--

- **NAICS code:** 238220
- **Canonical URL:** https://singulariki.com/industries/238220
- **Frame:** "AI exposure" means task overlap, not jobs lost. Figures aggregate over the occupations employed in this industry, each traced to a named public dataset.

## Scale & pay

- **Employment (BLS OEWS, May 2024):** 1,266,510 across 190 occupations.
- **Typical annual wage (employment-weighted median):** $63,658.

## AI exposure

- **AI task-overlap (employment-weighted across 152 occupations):** 23rd percentile (Low) — Eloundou GPT-overlap + Felten AIOE; task overlap, not automation.

## Largest occupations

- Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-47-2152-00) — 326,460 employed; $62,670
- Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-49-9021-00) — 290,620 employed; $58,750
- First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-47-1011-00) — 54,060 employed; $88,220
- Office Clerks, General (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-43-9061-00) — 53,720 employed; $45,820
- Sheet Metal Workers (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-47-2211-00) — 48,420 employed; $66,460
- General and Operations Managers (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-11-1021-00) — 43,110 employed; $104,040
- Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-47-3015-00) — 37,340 employed; $39,090
- First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-49-1011-00) — 27,660 employed; $79,260
- Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-49-9098-00) — 24,100 employed; $38,240
- Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-41-3091-00) — 23,540 employed; $77,850
- Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-43-3031-00) — 23,060 employed; $50,080
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-43-6014-00) — 22,280 employed; $45,820
- Construction Laborers (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-47-2061-00) — 21,860 employed; $46,740
- Construction Managers (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-11-9021-00) — 18,550 employed; $106,820
- Project Management Specialists (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-13-1082-00) — 18,190 employed; $98,370
- Electricians (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-47-2111-00) — 15,600 employed; $62,370
- Cost Estimators (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-13-1051-00) — 13,820 employed; $81,570
- Customer Service Representatives (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-43-4051-00) — 13,470 employed; $44,580
- Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-43-5032-00) — 13,070 employed; $45,980
- First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers (https://singulariki.com/roles/role-43-1011-00) — 11,730 employed; $67,060

## Sources

- **O*NET** (30.3) — U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)** (May 2024) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **Census NAICS** (2022) — U.S. Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/naics/
- **Anthropic Economic Index** (v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27)) — Anthropic. https://www.anthropic.com/economic-index
- **“GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.)** (arXiv 2303.10130) — OpenAI / academic. https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130
- **AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE)** (Felten, Raj & Seamans) — academic. https://github.com/AIOE-Data/AIOE

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_Generated from Singulariki's joined dataset; data snapshot 2026-06-03T03:26:54.804143+00:00. https://singulariki.com/industries/238220_