SOC 47-2151 · Construction and Extraction Occupations · May 2025

How much do Pipelayers make in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Pipelayers in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA is $64,770. The 10th percentile is $52,160 and the 90th percentile is $93,770. Employment is 90.

Median annual wage

$64,770

10th percentile
$52,160
25th percentile
$62,400
Median
$64,770
75th percentile
$74,070
90th percentile
$93,770
Mean
$71,560

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

A transit bus driver standing beside a bus at a rest stop in Denali
Denali transit bus driver Gary at Teklanika Rest Stop, August 29, 2019. Photograph by Emily Mesner, National Park Service. Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Percentile spread

For Pipelayers, the published 10th percentile is $52,160 and the 90th percentile is $93,770. The difference is $41,610, which is 64.2% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $62,400 to the 75th at $74,070, covers $11,670.

The mean annual wage is $71,560, which sits above the median of $64,770. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median is 32.2% higher than the national median of $49,000 for Pipelayers. In 2024 national prices the local median is $57,889, which is 18.1% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 15% lower than the California median of $76,180.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA is 111.887, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $64,770 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Pipelayers at $57,889 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

3 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Pipelayers. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA ranks 3rd of 4 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

  • Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA is 110 miles away, with a median of $80,260 and employment of 500. That median is 23.9% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $70,673, against $57,889 here.
  • Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA is 111 miles away, with a median of $76,190 and employment of 250. That median is 17.6% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $71,579, against $57,889 here.
  • Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA is 164 miles away, with a median of $61,160 and employment of 40. That median is 5.6% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $55,331, against $57,889 here.

Employment share

Pipelayers accounts for 0.01% of wage-and-salary employment in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA (90 of 1,538,060). Nationally the occupation is 0.02% of employment (33,050 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.28 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.

Highest-paying jobs in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA · Pipelayers by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices

Questions this page answers

How much do Pipelayers make in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Pipelayers in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA is $64,770. The 10th percentile is $52,160 and the 90th percentile is $93,770. Employment is 90.

How does that compare with the national median for Pipelayers?

The local median is 32.2% higher than the national median of $49,000.

What is Pipelayers pay in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA is 111.887, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $64,770 is $57,889. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA compare with nearby metros for Pipelayers?

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 110 miles away, at $80,260. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA ranks 3rd of 4 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.