Compare A Pipelayer ↔ B Ironworker

Compare with

Your route

1 move · +$6,620 a year, Texas medians of each whole occupation, all experience levels

Gates on this route

Move 1, to Ironworker: no degree, license or hours gate found (O*NET 31.0 and the licensing agencies checked for this job).

Move 1 Transfer move to the side
Pipelayer to Ironworker +$6,620 Texas medians of each whole occupation, all experience levels
- O*NET lists Structural Iron and Steel Workers as a related occupation (Primary-Long); skills and knowledge profile similarity r = 0.78.
- Gates checked: no degree, license or hours gate found (O*NET 31.0 and the licensing agencies checked for this job).
- Skills to build: Operations Monitoring

Side by side

All Structural Iron and Steel Workers: Texas median $52,240, $6,620 more a year than all Pipelayers ($45,620), every experience level.

Ironworker: 34% work more than 40 hours a week, about 1.9 times the share for Pipelayer (17%).

Occupation-wide pay all experience levels, not this level's pay; Texas median, base pay, $0 to $300k

$45,620+$6,620$52,240

Gates checked: No degree, license or hours gate on these moves in O*NET 31.0 and the licensing agencies checked for each job.

Outlook 2024 to 2034 whole occupation

A +0.2% Texas, 480 openings a year

B +3.6% Texas, 850 openings a year

Over 40 h a week

17%+16 pts34%

Physical load our index from O*NET, 1 to 5; A B; largest differences first

3.1 / 5+0.33.4 / 5

High places+2.43High places: A 1.31, B 3.74
Outdoors, all weather-2.03Outdoors, all weather: A 4.9, B 2.87
Protective gear+0.87Protective gear: A 2.6, B 3.47
Hazardous conditions+0.79Hazardous conditions: A 2.14, B 2.93
Climbing ladders+0.50Climbing ladders: A 2.57, B 3.07

Degree

A Most people in this job do not hold a bachelor's degree (O*NET: 0% do).

B Most people in this job do not hold a bachelor's degree (O*NET: 7% do).

License

A Texas: yard water lines and building sewers for 1-2 family homes are plumbing (TSBPE Residential Utilities Installer registration). Utility mains and most private site mains are exempt (1301.053, 1301.059).

B No license for this job title at the 8 Texas and federal licensing agencies read on 2026-10-03 (TDLR, TSBPE, TCEQ, TCFP, TEA, TBPELS, NRC and EPA).

Experience

A Most common related work experience: over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (O*NET: 19%).

B Most common related work experience: none (O*NET: 57%).

Skills O*NET importance, 1 to 5

You likely have: 4

Active Listening
Critical Thinking
Judgment and Decision Making
Time Management

To build: 1

Operations Monitoring +0.50

Make this your goal

Save Pipelayer to Ironworker as your goal. Each step then shows the hours you have logged toward it, your exam practice and your license, with the one thing to do next and the 1 skills to build as a checklist. Free with an account.