How much do pipelayers make in New York in 2026?

The median pipelayer in New York earns $70,370 a year, which works out to about $33.83 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That puts New York pipelayers well above many other states, reflecting the density of infrastructure work — water mains, sewer lines, storm drains, and gas distribution systems — concentrated in the metro areas and across the state's aging municipal systems.

The bottom quarter of pipelayers in New York, those at or below the 25th percentile, earn $52,510 a year, or roughly $25.25 an hour. Workers in this range are typically newer to the trade, working smaller residential or light commercial jobs, or employed in lower-cost regions of upstate New York where prevailing wages run lower than in the city.

The top quarter, at the 75th percentile and above, clears $80,370 annually — about $38.64 an hour. Getting into that range generally means a combination of years on the job, the ability to work in confined spaces and on complex utility work, and being plugged into heavy civil contractors or public-works projects where job scale and bid requirements push wages higher.

The spread from the 25th to the 75th percentile is nearly $28,000 a year. That's not a small gap. It tells you that where you work, who you work for, and how experienced you are matters enormously in this trade.

Geography inside New York is a major factor. The five boroughs and close suburbs — Nassau, Westchester, Rockland — carry the highest wage pressure. Large-scale water and sewer infrastructure contracts in New York City, combined with high costs of doing business, push contractor pay upward. Move further upstate — the Capital Region, Southern Tier, or the North Country — and wages tend to trend closer to or below the state median.

Overtime is a real income driver for pipelayers. Infrastructure work often comes with tight project deadlines tied to road closures, permit windows, or seasonal ground conditions. Crews that work through spring thaws and push hard before winter freeze can bank significant overtime hours. At the median base rate of $33.83 an hour, a single 10-hour overtime week adds over $500 in gross pay at time-and-a-half. Workers who consistently hit 10–15 hours of overtime per week can push their effective annual earnings well above the 75th percentile figure even without a base wage increase.

Seasonal rhythm matters in New York. Pipelaying is largely outdoor, below-grade work. Frozen ground slows or halts many projects from December through March in upstate regions. Workers who stay employed year-round typically do so through larger contractors who maintain enough backlog to keep crews busy, or by picking up indoor utility tie-in work during cold months. Gaps in winter employment can reduce annual totals below what the hourly rate alone would suggest.

Experience and specialization push pay up. Pipelayers who move into foreman roles, develop expertise in directional drilling, or gain experience with larger-diameter transmission mains generally command higher rates. Trenchless technology skills — horizontal directional drilling, pipe bursting, slip-lining — are increasingly in demand as municipalities work on rehabilitation projects without full road excavation.

Some workers may be covered by a collective bargaining agreement — check with your local for current rates.

The figures on this page come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, published May 2025. The BLS collects data from employer payroll records and reports base wages. It does not capture per-diem allowances, tool stipends, employer contributions to health insurance or retirement plans, or the value of paid time off. Total compensation for pipelayers — particularly on prevailing-wage public contracts — often runs higher than the base wage figures here suggest.