← All 785 jobsFile 47-2152
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
Also filed here: Plumber, Pipefitter
Mostly untouched
AI barely touches this work so far. The BLS expects 6.8% more of these jobs by 2035, faster than the 3.5% average.
- Rank
- #551 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- +6.8% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $63,800 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 510,600 in the US, with about 42,000 openings a year
The work, 32 activities
The job description, marked up.
Every activity in this job, the biggest first. Tap a line for the evidence.
- deleAI does this
- +AIAI helps
- stetStill yours
Still yours: Install plumbing or piping equipment or systems19%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Install energy or heating equipment11%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment8%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Cut materials5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Maintain facilities or equipment4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,312 conversations, and it got them there 95% of the time.
Still yours: Join parts using soldering, welding, or brazing techniques4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Perform general construction or extraction activities4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Apply protective solutions or coatings3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Assemble equipment or components3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Test performance of equipment or systems2%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,100 conversations, and it got them there 92% of the time.
AI helps with this: Explain regulations, policies, or procedures2%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 76 conversations, and it got them there 94% of the time. In this job the work is hands-on, so AI can only assist.
AI helps with this: Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment2%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,656 conversations, and it got them there 84% of the time.
Still yours: Position materials or components for assembly2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Inspect facilities or equipment2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Fabricate devices or components2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Determine operational methods or procedures2%
AI performed this in about 1 in 461 Copilot conversations and completed it 93% of the time.
AI does this: Read documents or materials to inform work processes2%
AI performed this in about 1 in 214 Copilot conversations and completed it 87% of the time.
AI does this: Plan work activities2%
AI performed this in about 1 in 720 Copilot conversations and completed it 92% of the time.
Still yours: Direct construction or extraction activities2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Maintain tools or equipment2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Select materials or equipment for operations or projects2%
AI performed this in about 1 in 529 Copilot conversations and completed it 94% of the time.
Still yours: Repair tools or equipment2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Assess characteristics of land or property2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Build structures2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Create visual designs or displays2%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 78 conversations, and it got them there 40% of the time.
Still yours: Mark materials or objects for identification2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Maintain operational records1%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Disassemble equipment1%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Estimate project development or operational costs1%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Determine resource needs of projects or operations1%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,590 conversations, and it got them there 92% of the time.
Still yours: Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas1%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Operate pumping systems or equipment1%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 107 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
About 42,000 openings a year, from growth and from people who retire or move on.
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
Jobs that share the most work with this one, where AI does less of it.
- Shares 31% of the workElectric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers0% AI does, against 7% here+4.4% by 2035 · $56,210 · High school diploma
- Shares 28% of the workMedical Equipment Repairers2% AI does, against 7% here+12.6% by 2035 · $61,660 · Associate’s degree
- Shares 26% of the workRail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators0% AI does, against 7% here+1.5% by 2035 · $70,070 · High school diploma
The wire
On the wire.
Nothing filed about this job yet. The latest from the Work front:
How to read this file.
deleAI does this. In US Bing Copilot conversations from January to September 2024, AI itself performed the activity, completed it and made a real difference often enough to count.
+AIAI helps. People brought the activity to AI as their own goal, and it usually got them there.
stetStill yours. It barely shows up in AI use, AI rarely finishes it, or in this job it needs hands.
Shares are weighted by how much each activity matters in the job, using O*NET. Microsoft’s own AI applicability score for this job is 0.07, higher than 22% of jobs.
Doing an activity is not doing a job. The researchers behind this data warn against reading it as job loss, and so do we. It is US data; the shape of the work travels.
Sources: Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025) · O*NET OnLine, 47-2152 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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