Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters job market in Colorado
Industries employing plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters are shrinking in Colorado while growing nationwide
In early 2026, employment in those industries was down 1.6% from a year earlier, compared with a 1.1% increase nationwide.
These are industry-wide trends, not a count of jobs in this occupation or current openings.
BLS QCEW sourceMethodologyNational Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters report
Industry employment change over time
Year-over-year change for the industries that employ Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters in Colorado
Every published quarter
BLS does not publish a national quarterly series for this occupation’s industry mix, so only the Colorado series is shown. The U.S. figure on the cards above is the latest quarter benchmark.
| Quarter | Colorado | State data coverage |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 Q2 | +1.0% | 100% |
| 2024 Q3 | +0.2% | 100% |
| 2024 Q4 | -1.4% | 99.66% |
| 2025 Q1 | -0.1% | 100% |
| 2025 Q2 | -1.3% | 100% |
| 2025 Q3 | -1.5% | 100% |
| 2025 Q4 | -1.7% | 100% |
| 2026 Q1 | -1.6% | 100% |
Industry mix behind this view
Which industries are weighted into this view. Not a ranking of employers or of job quality.
| Industry group | Share of occupation employment | Local employment change | Establishments | Avg. weekly wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | 82.0% | -1.7% | 21,738 | $1,694 |
| Professional and business services | 3.5% | -2.1% | 77,540 | $2,652 |
| Manufacturing | 3.4% | -2.3% | 5,662 | $2,097 |
| Trade, transportation, and utilities | 3.0% | -1.3% | 38,337 | $1,461 |
| State and local | 2.8% | -0.6% | 2,470 | $1,415 |
| Private education and health services | 2.3% | +4.5% | 30,440 | $1,293 |
The publication date above is the official BLS news release date for this reference quarter, linked to the notice. The values match the snapshot independently checked against BLS sources on September 17, 2026. The publication date identifies the quarterly news release, not the exact revision date. The data period above is the quarter the figures describe.
QCEW describes the industries that employ this occupation, not the occupation itself. It is not a count of job openings and is not part of the 0-100 Job Market Health score.
Common questions: Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters in Colorado
How is employment changing in the industries that employ Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters in Colorado?
In January to March 2026, employment in those industries changed -1.6% compared with the same quarter a year earlier. That is a year over year decrease, weighted by this occupation’s published industry mix.
How does that compare with the national change?
Nationally, employment in the same industries changed +1.1% over the same period, so Colorado is 2.7 percentage points below the national year-over-year change.
Are there more or fewer business locations in those industries?
The number of establishments in those industries in Colorado changed +4.4% year over year. Establishments are business locations in the industries that employ Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters, not employers advertising for this occupation.
How are average weekly wages in those industries changing?
The average weekly wage across those industries in Colorado changed +6.6% year over year. This is an all-worker industry average, not pay for Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters.
Where does this data come from, and what does it not tell you?
Every figure above comes from the BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, reference quarter 2026 Q1 (January to March 2026). The official BLS news release for that quarter was published August 28, 2026. QCEW measures industries, not occupations, so these are industry figures weighted by the occupation’s published industry mix. State data coverage for the weakest trend above is 100% of that mix. The figures are not counts of people in this occupation, not this occupation’s wages, not a count of current job openings and not a hiring probability. No forecast is made. BLS QCEW sourceMethodologyNational Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters report
How to read this page
QCEW measures employment and wages by industry, not by occupation. We weight those industry conditions using the published industry mix for Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters. These figures describe the industries that employ Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters; they are not direct counts of people working in the occupation or of jobs currently open. This page is not part of the national 0 to 100 Job Market Health score.
Source: BLS QCEW. See the methodology, the national Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters report and about the data.