Pipefitting

What the Numbers Say About Pipefitting

0.2% of the federal civilian workforce (2,289,472 employees total, March 2025) works in the Pipefitting occupation (OPM code 4204): 3,482 people, headcount down -1.2% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.

Pipefitting pays $79,340 per year on average, 27.8% below the $109,869 federal civilian average, after moving up 2.6% from the prior period (a broad shift as locality pay tables and grade-level adjustments moved through the workforce). Employees in this role stay an average of 9.1 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.

The Plumbing and Pipefitting Family family (code 42) groups Pipefitting together with 3 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Pipefitting postings should also review these sibling occupations, since federal hiring managers often cross-post positions across closely related codes when recruitment is difficult. All figures here come directly from OPM FedScope Employment Cubes, the same official source referenced in federal workforce planning, budget justifications, and GAO reports.

Inside the Plumbing and Pipefitting Family family (4 occupations, 4,648 employees combined), Pipefitting holds the #1 spot by headcount, a 74.9% share of the family total. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (25th percentile) of pay among Plumbing and Pipefitting Family occupations.