Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024
Pipefitter Salary in Atlanta
2024 BLS OEWS Data · Plumbing · COL Index: 106
Pipefitters in Atlanta, GA earn a median annual wage of $58,690 per 2024 BLS OEWS data, with the 10th percentile at $38,160 and the 90th at $83,420. After cost of living, that translates to $55,368 in U.S.-average purchasing power. Trade Pay Score: C (60/100).
What Pipefitters Take Home in Atlanta
The $45,260 spread between entry-level and top-decile pipefitters in Atlanta is around 77% of the median — a typical range for skilled trades. Workers can roughly double their entry pay through a combination of experience, certifications, union membership, and moving from helper to journeyman to foreman roles.
Atlanta's cost-of-living index of 106 is within a few points of the U.S. average, so the $58,690 median for pipefitters here translates almost directly into real purchasing power — roughly $55,368 in U.S.-average terms. What you see is what you take home, with no significant adjustment up or down.
With a Trade Pay Score of 60 (C), pipefitters in Atlanta are mid-tier — neither standout strong nor materially weak. The combination earns a reasonable nominal wage but is dragged down by either flatter wage growth, a higher cost of living that erodes purchasing power, or thinner employment depth. Workers should compare the per-trade pages to see if a different metro improves the grade.
Salary Distribution
Percentile Breakdown
| Level | Salary | COL-Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (Apprentice / Entry) | $38,160 | $36,000 |
| 25th Percentile (Early Career) | $46,910 | $44,255 |
| 50th Percentile (Journeyman / Median) | $58,690 | $55,368 |
| 75th Percentile (Experienced) | $77,990 | $73,575 |
| 90th Percentile (Master / Foreman) | $83,420 | $78,698 |
How These Numbers Are Calculated
Every wage figure here comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program at bls.gov/oes — a survey of about 1.2 million employers per release covering more than 800 occupations and every U.S. metropolitan statistical area. The Trade Pay Score combines raw median pay (30%), 5-year wage growth (25%), employment depth (25%), and cost-of-living-adjusted purchasing power (20%) into a single 0-100 grade. Read the full methodology.
Career outlook detail — projected 2032 employment levels for pipefitters, typical entry-level requirements, on-the-job training expectations — comes from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at bls.gov/ooh. Apprenticeship programs in Atlanta are listed at apprenticeship.gov. All three are public-domain federal data sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a Pipefitter make in Atlanta?
Per 2024 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data, the median pipefitter salary in Atlanta, GA is $58,690. The 10th percentile is $38,160 (typical for entry-level or apprentice-tier positions); the 90th percentile reaches $83,420 (master, foreman, or specialty roles).
How does Atlanta pay compare for Pipefitters?
With a Trade Pay Score of 60/100 and a grade of C, the Atlanta-Pipefitter pairing is a mid-tier combination that is neither standout strong nor materially weak.
What is the apprenticeship path for Pipefitters in Atlanta?
Pipefitters typically complete a 5-year registered apprenticeship before reaching journeyman pay, starting around the 10th percentile ($38,160) and progressing toward the median. Registered apprenticeship programs in the area are listed at https://www.apprenticeship.gov/.
How does cost of living affect Pipefitter pay in Atlanta?
Atlanta has a cost-of-living index of 106. The median pipefitter salary of $58,690 translates to $55,368 in U.S.-average purchasing power — a downward adjustment because the metro is more expensive than average.
Where does this salary data come from?
Every wage figure on this page is a real BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics median or percentile from the 2024 release at https://www.bls.gov/oes/, which surveys roughly 1.2 million U.S. employers per release. Career outlook context (projected employment growth through 2032) comes from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/. Both are public-domain U.S. government data sources.
Pipefitters in Atlanta, GA earn a median annual wage of $58,690 per 2024 BLS OEWS data, with the 10th percentile at $38,160 and the 90th at $83,420. After cost of living, that translates to $55,368 in U.S.-average purchasing power. Trade Pay Score: C (60/100).
The this entity record above pulls directly from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. What follows is the per-entity context — how this entity sits in the broader U.S. skilled-trade wage data distribution and which underlying factors drive the headline numbers.
The methodology behind every numeric value on this page is publicly documented on the the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey portal and described in detail on this site’s methodology page. Refresh cadence varies by underlying series; the page surfaces the as-of date for each number so readers can trace any figure back to the source release.
Practical use of this page is in combination with the comparison and ranking pages elsewhere on the site, which surface the same data for this entity’s peers within U.S. trades, cities, and states. A single-entity reading without peer context can be misleading when an entity is an outlier on one axis but typical on another.