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Role hub · Boilermakers

Boilermaker: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Nov 2, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
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Median percentile pay

Half of boilermakers earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$76,410
Hourly
$36.74
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Boilermakers construct, assemble, maintain, and repair stationary steam boilers and boiler house auxiliaries. The median pay is $76,410 a year ($36.74 an hour) (BLS, May 2025).

Median pay
$76,410
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
10,190
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 1-2 of 5
very little to some preparation
Key facts

Boilermakers at a glance

  • Boilermakers in the United States earned a median annual wage of $76,410 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for boilermakers in the United States.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS projects employment of boilermakers in the United States to decline 1.8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 700 openings a year on average, including replacement openings.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS estimated that 10,190 people were employed as boilermakers in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the role

Every page for Boilermakers

SalaryBoilermaker salary

Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.

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The work

What boilermakers do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Conduct pressure tests on vessels, such as boilers.
  2. Study blueprints to determine locations, relationships, or dimensions of parts.
  3. Examine boilers, pressure vessels, tanks, or vats to locate defects, such as leaks, weak spots, or defective sections, so that they can be repaired.
  4. Inspect assembled vessels or individual components, such as tubes, fittings, valves, controls, or auxiliary mechanisms, to locate any defects.
  5. Lay out plate, sheet steel, or other heavy metal and locate and mark bending and cutting lines, using protractors, compasses, and drawing instruments or templates.
  6. Bell, bead with power hammers, or weld pressure vessel tube ends to ensure leakproof joints.
  7. Locate and mark reference points for columns or plates on boiler foundations, following blueprints and using straightedges, squares, transits, or measuring instruments.
  8. Position, align, and secure structural parts or related assemblies to boiler frames, tanks, or vats of pressure vessels, following blueprints.
Where this career works

Industries that employ it

Data Share of all boilermaker jobs in each industry, 2025 (BLS Employment Matrix).

  1. Heavy and civil engineering construction22.7% of all jobs in this occupation · +0.9% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $84,100
  2. Specialty trade contractors21.7% of all jobs in this occupation · -4.6% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $77,390
  3. Construction of buildings16.1% of all jobs in this occupation · -10.2% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $82,140
  4. Fabricated metal product manufacturing9.7% of all jobs in this occupation · +4.3% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $71,780
  5. Repair and maintenance7.4% of all jobs in this occupation · -8.8% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $81,190
  6. Support activities for mining3.5% of all jobs in this occupation · +4.2% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $73,320

Sources: BLS 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (share of the occupation's jobs, projected change) and BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates (mean wage). Different industry estimates are not a pay forecast for any person.

Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Operations MonitoringcoreOperation and ControlcoreCritical ThinkingcoreEquipment MaintenanceTroubleshootingRepairingQuality Control AnalysisComplex Problem SolvingEquipment Selection

Knowledge areas: Mechanical, English Language, Mathematics.

Tools and technology

Software boilermakers use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Autodesk AutoCADComputer aided design CAD softwareHot technology
  • Health and safety training softwareComputer based training software
  • Microsoft ExcelSpreadsheet softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft Office softwareOffice suite softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft OutlookElectronic mail softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft WindowsOperating system softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft WordWord processing softwareHot technology
  • SAP softwareEnterprise resource planning ERP softwareHot technology

Also called: Boiler Installer, Boiler Mechanic, Boiler Repairman, Boiler Service Technician (Boiler Service Tech), Boiler Technician (Boiler Tech).

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).

How TryHired builds this data: sources, methods and downloads. Spotted an error? Report a correction.