Pipelayers Salary

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $70K, rent takes 37.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,729/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,400/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new pipelayers typically earn — is $39K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,356/month. At HUD’s $1,729/month FMR, rent would take 73% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Local pay is 43% above the national median — $70K here vs. $49K nationally.

Providence-Warwick pays $70K median vs. the U.S. average of $49K — that’s +43%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 101.77), the purchasing-power equivalent is $69K — still ahead of the national median.

The median is $70,230 a year, that works out to about $34 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $39,260, and experienced pipelayers can clear $86,020. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,628/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,729/month, which eats 37.4% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.

Providence-Warwick has a Regional Price Parity of 101.77 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median pipelayers salary is worth about $69,009 in national-average purchasing power.

The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.