Pipe Layer job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

14

O*NET task statements

O*NET occupation

Pipelayers

O*NET-SOC 47-2151.00

Preparation

Job Zone 1-2 of 5

very little to some preparation

Typical entry education

No formal educational credential

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$49,000

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Pipelayers (O*NET-SOC 47-2151.00). O*NET 31.0 lists “Pipe Layer” as a job title for this occupation only (evidence: the SOC Index and employer job postings). Figures on this page are for that occupation. TryHired has no separate career page for this title yet.

1. Grade or level trench bases, using tamping machines or hand tools. importance 4.4 of 5
2. Dig trenches to desired or required depths, by hand or using trenching tools. importance 4.3 of 5
3. Cut pipes to required lengths. importance 4.3 of 5
4. Install or use instruments such as lasers, grade rods, or transit levels. importance 4.2 of 5
5. Cover pipes with earth or other materials. importance 4.1 of 5
6. Connect pipe pieces and seal joints, using welding equipment, cement, or glue. importance 4.1 of 5
7. Install or repair sanitary or stormwater sewer structures or pipe systems. importance 4.1 of 5
8. Check slopes for conformance to requirements, using levels or lasers. importance 4.1 of 5
9. Align and position pipes to prepare them for welding or sealing. importance 4.1 of 5
10. Lay out pipe routes, following written instructions or blueprints and coordinating layouts with supervisors. importance 4.0 of 5
11. Tap and drill holes into pipes to introduce auxiliary lines or devices. importance 4.0 of 5
12. Operate mechanized equipment, such as pickup trucks, rollers, tandem dump trucks, front-end loaders, or backhoes. importance 3.9 of 5
13. Train or supervise others in laying pipe. importance 3.9 of 5
14. Locate existing pipes needing repair or replacement, using magnetic or radio indicators. importance 3.9 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Getting Information, Handling and Moving Objects, Controlling Machines and Processes, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates and Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment.

Knowledge areas: Building and Construction and Public Safety and Security.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists no formal educational credential as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists no work experience in a related occupation as typical to enter.
• Training on the job: BLS lists short-term on-the-job training as typical once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 1-2 of 5 (very little to some preparation). Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board.

Most pipe layers surveyed by O*NET (65%) name less than a high school diploma as the education the job requires.

Job title: Pipe Layer
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Pipe Layer to lay pipe for storm or sanitation sewers, drains, and water mains.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Grade or level trench bases, using tamping machines or hand tools.
- Dig trenches to desired or required depths, by hand or using trenching tools.
- Cut pipes to required lengths.
- Install or use instruments such as lasers, grade rods, or transit levels.
- Cover pipes with earth or other materials.
- Connect pipe pieces and seal joints, using welding equipment, cement, or glue.
- Install or repair sanitary or stormwater sewer structures or pipe systems.
- Check slopes for conformance to requirements, using levels or lasers.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists no formal educational credential as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists no related work experience as typical to enter; set what this role needs]
- Strength in operation and control, coordination and operations monitoring
- Working knowledge of Building and Construction and Public Safety and Security
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Office software]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

For Pipelayers, the median annual wage was $49,000 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $23.56. BLS estimates about 33,050 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of Pipelayers to decline 3.1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 2,100 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

• Read a real pipe layer posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Grade or level trench bases, using tamping machines or hand tools”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only pipe layer work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (operation and control and coordination): a real situation, what you did and what changed.