Boilermakers: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Construction and Extraction · SOC 47-2011 · O*NET 47-2011.00
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.
Boilermakers fall under the Construction and Extraction category in the U.S. occupational classification. Boilermakers earn a median salary of $73,340 per year, ranking in the top 30% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects -2.4% job growth through 2034, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Entry into this field typically requires an apprenticeship, technical certification, or postsecondary training, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What do boilermakers earn?
The median annual wage for boilermakers is $73,340. That puts boilermakers at #247 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is above the U.S. median for individual workers and reflects a stable, credentialed occupation. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $48,390 |
| 25th percentile | $62,230 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $73,340 |
| 75th percentile | $93,520 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $107,600 |
| Median hourly wage | $35.26/hr |
Is boilermakers a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for boilermakers is -2.4%, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Employment is projected to move from approximately 10K positions in 2024 to 10K in 2034, a net change of 0K. A declining outlook does not mean the field is disappearing; it means automation, demographics, or substitution effects are shrinking the pool of openings. Students entering a declining field should plan for adjacent skills that transfer to growing roles.
What do boilermakers do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working boilermakers, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.Conduct pressure tests on vessels, such as boilers.
- 2.Study blueprints to determine locations, relationships, or dimensions of parts.
- 3.Examine boilers, pressure vessels, tanks, or vats to locate defects, such as leaks, weak spots, or defective sections, so that they can be repaired.
- 4.Inspect assembled vessels or individual components, such as tubes, fittings, valves, controls, or auxiliary mechanisms, to locate any defects.
- 5.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.
- 6.Bell, bead with power hammers, or weld pressure vessel tube ends to ensure leakproof joints.
- 7.Locate and mark reference points for columns or plates on boiler foundations, following blueprints and using straightedges, squares, transits, or measuring instruments.
- 8.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.
Top skills for boilermakers
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become boilermaker?
Boilermakers typically enter the field through a formal apprenticeship, technical certification, or vocational training program — a strong fit for teens who prefer hands-on learning over traditional college. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.
Related careers your child might also consider
- Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers$106,580 median
- First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers$78,690 median
- Roof Bolters, Mining$76,640 median
- Construction and Building Inspectors$72,120 median
- Pile Driver Operators$70,510 median
- Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining$68,860 median
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about boilermakers
What is the median salary for boilermakers?
The median annual salary for boilermakers is $73,340 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is boilermakers a growing career?
BLS projects -2.4% growth for boilermakers from 2024 through 2034, which is declining growth projected to lose jobs through 2034.
What education does my child need to become boilermaker?
The typical entry path requires an apprenticeship, technical certification, or postsecondary training, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to boilermakers?
Related occupations within the Construction and Extraction category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.