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Career overview · SOC 47-2011

Boilermakers

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.

Also called: Boiler Installer · Boiler Mechanic · Boiler Repairman · Boiler Service Technician (Boiler Service Tech) · Boiler Technician (Boiler Tech) · Boilermaker

Median pay (national)
$73,340
$48,390–$107,600 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
10,170
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
-2.4%
~800 openings/yr
Typical entry
High school diploma or equivalent

What the numbers say

Refit analysis ·Pay for boilermakers shows a broad range: the top 10% earn $107,600 versus $48,390 at the bottom 10% — 2.2x. The median of $73,340 leaves roughly 47% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change -2.4% from 2024 to 2034 — a projected decline, against +3% across all occupations. Even so, BLS projects about 800 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 36 states with released data, South Carolina pays the most for this role (median $124,400, +70% vs the national median), while North Carolina sits lowest at $45,760 — a 172% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list.

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Top skills employers ask for

Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.

  • Critical Thinking
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Active Listening
  • Speaking
  • Active Learning
  • Monitoring
  • Learning Strategies
  • Writing
  • Mathematics
  • Science

What they actually do

Core O*NET tasks for this role.

  • Examine boilers, pressure vessels, tanks, or vats to locate defects, such as leaks, weak spots, or defective sections, so that they can be repaired.
  • Conduct pressure tests on vessels, such as boilers.
  • Study blueprints to determine locations, relationships, or dimensions of parts.
  • 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.
  • Position, align, and secure structural parts or related assemblies to boiler frames, tanks, or vats of pressure vessels, following blueprints.
  • Clean pressure vessel equipment, using scrapers, wire brushes, and cleaning solvents.
  • Repair or replace defective pressure vessel parts, such as safety valves or regulators, using torches, jacks, caulking hammers, power saws, threading dies, welding equipment, or metalworking machinery.
  • Attach rigging and signal crane or hoist operators to lift heavy frame and plate sections or other parts into place.

Tools & technology

  • Autodesk AutoCAD
  • Microsoft Windows
  • SAP software
  • Health and safety training software
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Microsoft Word

Knowledge areas

  • Mechanical
  • English Language
  • Mathematics
  • Administration and Management
  • Building and Construction
  • Computers and Electronics
  • Physics
  • Engineering and Technology