Boilermakers Career, Salary and Skills
Boilermakers have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $76,410 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 10,190. Wage data is published for 64 locations.
Occupation description
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.
O*NET code
47-2011.00
Job zone
2
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Experience
Over 4 years, up to and including 6 years
National salary and employment
Median annual
$76,410
Hourly median
$36.74
Employment
10,190
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Operations Monitoring | 4.00 | 3.12 |
| Operation and Control | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.50 | 3.00 |
| Troubleshooting | 3.12 | 3.25 |
| Repairing | 3.12 | 3.25 |
| Equipment Maintenance | 3.12 | 3.25 |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Equipment Selection | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Monitoring | 3.00 | 3.00 |
Typical tasks
- Study blueprints to determine locations, relationships, or dimensions of parts.
- Examine boilers, pressure vessels, tanks, or vats to locate defects, such as leaks, weak spots, or defective sections, so that they can be repaired.
- Inspect assembled vessels or individual components, such as tubes, fittings, valves, controls, or auxiliary mechanisms, to locate any defects.
- Lay out plate, sheet steel, or other heavy metal and locate and mark bending and cutting lines, using protractors, compasses, and drawing instruments or templates.
- Bell, bead with power hammers, or weld pressure vessel tube ends to ensure leakproof joints.
- Locate and mark reference points for columns or plates on boiler foundations, following blueprints and using straightedges, squares, transits, or measuring instruments.
- Shape or fabricate parts, such as stacks, uptakes, or chutes, to adapt pressure vessels, heat exchangers, or piping to premises, using heavy-metalworking machines such as brakes, rolls, or drill presses.
- Conduct pressure tests on vessels, such as boilers.
Technology
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Health and safety training software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft Windows
- Microsoft Word
- SAP software
Boilermakers salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Boilermakers Salary in TXMedian $75,750 · Employment 2,340
- Boilermakers Salary in LAMedian $73,980 · Employment 1,220
- Boilermakers Salary in Houston, TXMedian $77,090 · Employment 1,170
- Boilermakers Salary in CAMedian $118,150 · Employment 720
- Boilermakers Salary in Baton Rouge, LAMedian $74,730 · Employment 680
- Boilermakers Salary in NYMedian $84,770 · Employment 410
- Boilermakers Salary in FLMedian $69,790 · Employment 400
- Boilermakers Salary in New York, NYMedian $82,420 · Employment 330
- Boilermakers Salary in Los Angeles, CAMedian $110,370 · Employment 320
- Boilermakers Salary in OHMedian $85,550 · Employment 300
- Boilermakers Salary in NMMedian $101,200 · Employment 300
- Boilermakers Salary in MSMedian $105,910 · Employment 280
Related careers
- Maintenance Workers, MachineryNational median $60,850
- Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and InstallersNational median $61,010
- Electromechanical Equipment AssemblersNational median not published
- Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersNational median $47,920
- Sheet Metal WorkersNational median $61,800
- Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical DoorNational median $74,340
- Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related RepairersNational median $56,210
- Industrial Machinery MechanicsNational median $64,520
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.