Construction & Extraction
Boilermakers
SOC 47-2011
Build and repair boilers, tanks, and closed pressure vessels.
The job
Median pay
$76k
$65k to $95k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Declining
-1.8% projected
Openings a year
700
BLS projection
Typical education
Apprenticeship
Our model
AI displacement risk
Moderate
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
10/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
26th pct
More exposed than 26% of occupations · modeled estimate · 8th pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
50/100
Key skills
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Active Learning
- Monitoring
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's. A tilde marks a figure estimated from the parent occupation group where BLS publishes none.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 2,340 | 0.2 | 2.5× | $76k |
| Louisiana | 1,220 | 0.6 | 9.6× | $74k |
| California | 720 | 0.0 | 0.6× | $118k |
| New York | 410 | 0.0 | 0.7× | $85k |
| Florida | 400 | 0.0 | 0.6× | $70k |
| New Mexico | 300 | 0.3 | 5.3× | $101k |
| Ohio | 300 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $86k |
| Mississippi | 280 | 0.2 | 3.7× | $106k |
| New Jersey | 280 | 0.1 | 1.0× | $82k |
| Pennsylvania | 260 | 0.0 | 0.7× | $87k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 255 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $98k~ |
| Georgia | 247 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $64k~ |
| Massachusetts | 211 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $99k~ |
| Washington | 190 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $95k |
| Utah | 181 | 0.1 | 1.6× | $73k~ |
| Alabama | 180 | 0.1 | 1.3× | $64k |
| Tennessee | 180 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $52k |
| Arizona | 170 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $78k |
| Indiana | 170 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $91k |
| Wisconsin | 170 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $98k |
| Kentucky | 150 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $75k |
| North Carolina | 150 | 0.0 | 0.5× | $50k |
| Virginia | 150 | 0.0 | 0.6× | $68k |
| Oregon | 141 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $85k~ |
| Minnesota | 140 | 0.0 | 0.7× | $96k |
| Oklahoma | 136 | 0.1 | 1.2× | $78k~ |
| South Carolina | 136 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $75k~ |
| Illinois | 110 | 0.0 | 0.3× | $100k |
| Missouri | 100 | 0.0 | 0.5× | $79k |
| Nebraska | 81 | 0.1 | 1.2× | $69k~ |
| Idaho | 70 | 0.1 | 1.3× | $88k |
| Kansas | 70 | 0.0 | 0.7× | $72k |
| Nevada | 70 | 0.0 | 0.7× | $61k |
| New Hampshire | 60 | 0.1 | 1.3× | $85k |
| North Dakota | 55 | 0.1 | 1.9× | $79k~ |
| Maine | 51 | 0.1 | 1.2× | $77k~ |
| Montana | 51 | 0.1 | 1.5× | $78k~ |
| Arkansas | 50 | 0.0 | 0.6× | $77k |
| Connecticut | 50 | 0.0 | 0.5× | $80k |
| Iowa | 50 | 0.0 | 0.5× | $82k |
| Hawaii | 47 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $106k~ |
| South Dakota | 42 | 0.1 | 1.4× | $64k~ |
| Colorado | 40 | 0.0 | 0.2× | $89k |
| Alaska | 34 | 0.1 | 1.6× | $97k~ |
| Delaware | 30 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $76k~ |
| Maryland | 30 | 0.0 | 0.2× | $42k |
| West Virginia | 30 | 0.0 | 0.7× | $64k |
| Wyoming | 30 | 0.1 | 1.6× | $78k |
| Rhode Island | 28 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $81k~ |
| Vermont | 23 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $77k~ |
| Washington DC | 20 | 0.0 | 0.4× | $90k~ |
Top metro areas
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX1,170 jobs · $77k median
- Baton Rouge, LA680 jobs · $75k median
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ330 jobs · $82k median
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA320 jobs · $110k median
- Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX230 jobs · $73k median
- Corpus Christi, TX170 jobs · $65k median
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD140 jobs · $87k median
- New Orleans-Metairie, LA120 jobs · $77k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Boilermakers interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.