Construct, assemble, maintain, and repair stationary steam boilers and boiler house auxiliaries. Align structures or plate sections to assemble boiler frame tanks or vats, following blueprints. Work involves use of hand and power tools, plumb bobs, levels, wedges, dogs, or turnbuckles. Assist in testing assembled vessels. Direct cleaning of boilers and boiler furnaces. Inspect and repair boiler fittings, such as safety valves, regulators, automatic-control mechanisms, water columns, and auxiliary machines.
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Licensing, certifications and working conditions
State licensing. CareerOneStop's licensing data records no state license for Boilermakers, which usually means it is not a licensed occupation. Requirements can still vary by employer and state.
Certifications. CareerOneStop directly links 5 professional certifications to Boilermakers. 3 of them are in CareerOneStop's "Core" group, for example: Boilermaker - Pressure Vessel, Industrial Boilermaker - Exchanger, Industrial Boilermaker Maintenance Assessment. Certifications are voluntary credentials offered by the organizations named; listing one is not an endorsement.
Sources: CareerOneStop (licenses and certifications), part of the CareerOneStop suite of web products, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (working conditions, wages). MajorPays has reorganized this information; these agencies have not approved or endorsed it. See it interactively, with state-by-state detail →
More data on this career
Pay by education level. Among full-time, year-round boilermakers ages 25 to 64, median yearly pay is $67,000 with a high school diploma or GED and $76,100 with some college or an associate's degree (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024 dollars). Pay differs for many reasons besides education, such as experience, employer and location.
Industries that employ this career. The largest shares of boilermakers work in Manufacturing (38%), Construction (24%) and Other Services (except Public Administration) (14%) (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024).
Where the jobs are, and what they pay by industry. Nationwide, the industries that employ the most boilermakers are Utility System Construction (22% of the jobs counted, median pay $80,060), Building Equipment Contractors (19% of the jobs counted, median pay $73,150), Nonresidential Building Construction (17% of the jobs counted, median pay $74,960), Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (9% of the jobs counted, median pay $61,780) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). Among large industries, the highest median pay is in Utility System Construction ($80,060), Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment (except Automotive and Electronic) Repair and Maintenance ($76,510), Nonresidential Building Construction ($74,960). Pay differs by industry for many reasons, including the mix of jobs and where employers are located.
Injury and illness rates. For the broader group "Construction trades workers", which includes this career (BLS did not publish enough cases for this exact occupation), employers reported 151.7 nonfatal injury and illness cases with days away from work per 10,000 full-time workers, compared with 94.6 for all U.S. workers; the median case kept the worker away 12 days (all workers: 8) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023-2024). Rates reflect the work setting as well as the occupation.
Union membership. In the broad group "Construction and extraction", which includes this career, 16.4% of wage and salary workers belong to a union (all U.S. workers: 10.0%); median weekly pay is $1,561 for union members and $1,004 for workers not in a union (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, 2025). This is a group figure, not specific to boilermakers.
Employer benefits. In the broad group "Natural resources, construction, and maintenance", which includes this career, 74% of civilian workers had access to an employer retirement plan, 79% had access to employer medical care benefits, and 78% had paid sick leave, 86% paid vacation and 89% paid holidays (all civilian workers: 75%, 74%, 83%, 77% and 79%) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Compensation Survey, March 2026). This is a group figure, not specific to boilermakers, and having access to a benefit does not mean every worker uses it. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has not endorsed this presentation. Employers spent about $48.59 per hour worked on total compensation for the occupational group "Natural resources, construction, and maintenance" in June 2026 ($32.96 in wages and salaries and $15.63 in benefits, 32.2% of the total; all civilian workers: $49.46, with 31.6% in benefits) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation).
Work environment. In O*NET's survey of workers in this occupation, the conditions most often placed at the two highest levels for boilermakers are: freedom to make decisions (100%), telephone conversations (99%), face-to-face discussions with individuals and within teams (99%), importance of being exact or accurate (98%), contact with others (97%), determine tasks, priorities and goals (93%). Each percentage is the share of respondents choosing the top two levels for that condition (for example 'most of the time' or 'continually'), so it describes how common the condition is in the job, not how a particular workplace is (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Related careers. O*NET lists these occupations as similar to boilermakers in the work done and the skills used: Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters, Millwrights, Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters, Engine and Other Machine Assemblers, Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators, Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers, Structural Iron and Steel Workers, Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Compare boilermakers with other careers (pay, growth, openings and education side by side).
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 PUMS (MajorPays' own estimates from the survey; Census is credited as the source of the original data and has not endorsed them); BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses; BLS Current Population Survey; BLS National Compensation Survey (employee benefits); HRSA National Center for Health Workforce Analysis; U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (LCA disclosure data, FY2025). MajorPays has selected and reorganized these figures; these agencies have not approved or endorsed them. See it interactively →
Boilermaking/Boilermaker
CIP 48.0801