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Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
Assemble, install, alter, and repair pipelines or pipe systems that carry water, steam, air, or other liquids or gases. May install heating and cooling equipment and mechanical control systems. Includes sprinkler fitters.
Other titles employers use
Drain Technician · Fire Sprinkler Service Technician · Pipe Welder · Pipefitter · Plumber · Plumbing Installer · Residential Plumber · Service Plumber
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- Shut off steam, water, or other gases or liquids from pipe sections, using valve keys or wrenches.
- Install underground storm, sanitary, or water piping systems, extending piping as needed to connect fixtures and plumbing.
- Assemble pipe sections, tubing, or fittings, using couplings, clamps, screws, bolts, cement, plastic solvent, caulking, or soldering, brazing, or welding equipment.
- Locate and mark the position of pipe installations, connections, passage holes, or fixtures in structures, using measuring instruments such as rulers or levels.
- Cut, thread, or hammer pipes to specifications, using tools such as saws, cutting torches, pipe threaders, or pipe benders.
- Lay out full scale drawings of pipe systems, supports, or related equipment, according to blueprints.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to practical and organizing work.
- Practical
- Building, repairing, using tools, or working outdoors
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Critical Thinking
- Troubleshooting
- Repairing
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Monitoring
- Speaking
Subjects to know
- Building and Construction
- Mechanical
- Design
- Mathematics
- Customer and Personal Service
Useful strengths
- Problem Sensitivity
- Finger Dexterity
- Near Vision
- Deductive Reasoning
- Manual Dexterity
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 3.9 | Shared rooms, but not shoulder to shoulder |
| On your feet | 4.7 | Standing or moving for most of it |
| Talking face to face | 4.5 | Continuous — the job is conversations |
| Working with your hands | 4.8 | Handling tools, instruments or materials |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for a high school diploma. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- A certificate or some college 48%
- High school or less 43%
- A two-year degree 9%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Accounting software
- Word processing software
- Spreadsheet software
- Web platform development software
- Office suite software
- Analytical or scientific software
- Computer aided design CAD software
- Project management software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 50,400
- Job openings each year
- 4,520
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 8.4%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 50,400 | 4,520 | 8.4% |
| Texas | 47,190 | 4,340 | 13.3% |
| Florida | 34,230 | 3,140 | 13.3% |
| New York | 30,900 | 120 | 4.1% |
| North Carolina | 17,620 | 1,590 | 9.6% |
| Pennsylvania | 16,680 | 1,450 | 2.8% |
| Illinois | 15,800 | 1,370 | 2.6% |
| Ohio | 15,620 | 1,350 | 1.9% |
| Michigan | 15,290 | 1,310 | — |
| Virginia | 13,880 | 1,210 | 3.4% |
| Arizona | 13,670 | 1,260 | 14.2% |
| Indiana | 13,180 | 1,150 | 3.6% |
| Washington | 13,120 | 1,320 | 10.1% |
| Maryland | 13,060 | 1,160 | 6.0% |
| Colorado | 11,960 | 1,090 | 11.8% |
| Minnesota | 11,730 | 1,030 | 5.6% |
| Louisiana | 11,040 | 1,000 | 10.0% |
| Tennessee | 10,290 | 920 | 8.8% |
| New Jersey | 10,200 | 900 | 4.8% |
| Missouri | 9,490 | 830 | 3.6% |
| Georgia | 9,000 | 820 | 12.4% |
| Wisconsin | 8,380 | 760 | 10.1% |
| Utah | 8,200 | 820 | 35.5% |
| Iowa | 8,120 | 730 | 8.8% |
| Alabama | 7,480 | 660 | 6.4% |
| Oregon | 6,830 | 630 | 15.4% |
| Kentucky | 6,800 | 590 | 2.4% |
| Oklahoma | 6,700 | 590 | 5.2% |
| Connecticut | 6,480 | 590 | 12.3% |
| Massachusetts | 6,080 | 540 | 6.9% |
| Nevada | 5,770 | 520 | 8.9% |
| South Carolina | 5,370 | 470 | 4.5% |
| Nebraska | 4,640 | 420 | 7.9% |
| Kansas | 4,430 | 390 | 3.7% |
| Mississippi | 4,250 | 400 | 19.0% |
| Arkansas | 3,520 | 310 | 5.4% |
| New Mexico | 3,460 | 320 | 12.0% |
| Idaho | 2,950 | 280 | 22.9% |
| Rhode Island | 2,820 | 260 | 11.9% |
| Montana | 2,770 | 270 | 22.6% |
| Maine | 2,610 | 220 | −2.2% |
| New Hampshire | 2,540 | 230 | 8.5% |
| South Dakota | 2,110 | 190 | 12.2% |
| Delaware | 1,670 | 150 | 7.7% |
| West Virginia | 1,570 | 140 | 4.0% |
| North Dakota | 1,470 | 130 | 10.5% |
| Wyoming | 1,470 | 140 | 20.5% |
| Alaska | 1,250 | 110 | 12.6% |
| Vermont | 1,050 | 90 | 7.1% |
| Puerto Rico | 910 | 80 | 9.6% |
| District of Columbia | 680 | 60 | 6.3% |
| Guam | 240 | 30 | — |
| Virgin Islands | 100 | 10 | 11.1% |
Career to college
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