SalaryExplorer

SOC 47-2151 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Pipelayers — Winston-Salem

Winston-Salem, NC · 10 metro areas compared

$47,150 /year
$22.67per hour
190jobs in area
−3.8%vs US median

At $47,150, median pay for Pipelayers in Winston-Salem, NC tracks the national median of $49,000 closely.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $49,00010TH$37,92025TH$40,530MEDIAN$47,15075TH$53,71090TH$56,710

How pay has moved

$51,515$25,3252019202020212022202320242025$47,150
$29,690 in 2019 to $47,150 in 2025, +58.8% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to decline

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
-4.1%
Openings per year
2,400
Typical entry-level education
No formal educational credential
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Winston-Salem, NC.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

At $47,150, median pay for Pipelayers in Winston-Salem, NC tracks the national median of $49,000 closely. Pay ranges from under $37,920 at the tenth percentile to more than $56,710 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $40,530 to $53,710.

The area has 190 jobs in this occupation, giving a location quotient of 3.21 — a measure of how concentrated the occupation is here relative to the country as a whole. Within the state, Charlotte records the highest median at $48,980. Of the 468 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 284th.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Winston-Salem, NC · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$37,920−22.6%
25th$40,530−17.3%
Median (50th)$47,150−3.8%
75th$53,710+9.6%
90th$56,710+15.7%
Mean$47,880−2.3%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in North Carolina

Median annual wage for Pipelayers, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Charlotte$48,9801,170
2Raleigh$48,390640
3Goldsboro$48,19050
4Greensboro$47,550120
5Durham$46,860110
6Asheville$46,840160
7Fayetteville$46,410110
8Wilmington$46,130160
9Burlington$46,07030
10Jacksonville$44,00070

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Winston-Salem run 8.0% below the national average, so the median of $47,150 goes as far as $51,250 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 4.6% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$47,150as reported by BLS

Local price level

92.0US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$51,250US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $47,150 a year, 3.8% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $37,920 to $56,710 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 190 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Charlotte, at $48,980.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Pipelayers in Winston-Salem, NC?

The median annual wage is $47,150, or $22.67 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $49,000, so pay in Winston-Salem, NC is 3.8% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Winston-Salem, NC earns more than $56,710 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $37,920 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Charlotte, at $48,980 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 190 jobs in this occupation in Winston-Salem, NC. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.