Pile Driver Salary: United States
At Skilled Trades Headhunters, this is what we do all day: recruit skilled trades professionals.
The median annual wage for Pile Driver Operators (SOC 47-2072) in the United States was $73,300 in May 2025 (BLS). The middle half of workers in this occupation and area earned between $58,510 and $106,430. This is the broader occupation used for Pile Driver, not a separately surveyed rate for that title or credential.
Broader occupation Our title "Pile Driver" is reported by BLS as SOC 47-2072 Pile Driver Operators. BLS groups Pile Driver within Pile Driver Operators; it does not publish this niche title or credential level separately.
Annual wages: Pile Driver Operators (SOC 47-2072)
Pile Driver Operators (SOC 47-2072), the United States, annual wages: 10% earned less than $48,790, half earned less than the median of $73,300, 90% earned less than $124,600 (BLS, May 2025).
| Measure | Annual wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $48,790 | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $58,510 | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $73,300 | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $106,430 | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $124,600 | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $80,710 | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
Hourly wages: Pile Driver Operators (SOC 47-2072)
Pile Driver Operators (SOC 47-2072), the United States, hourly wages: 10% earned less than $23.46, half earned less than the median of $35.24, 90% earned less than $59.91 (BLS, May 2025).
| Measure | Hourly wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $23.46 per hour | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $28.13 per hour | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $35.24 per hour | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $51.17 per hour | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $59.91 per hour | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $38.81 per hour | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
Employment: BLS estimates 2,310 workers in this occupation nationally.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 47-2072 Pile Driver Operators, National.
What BLS wages measure. OEWS estimates describe straight-time gross wages, not just base salary and not total compensation. They include commissions and production bonuses. They exclude overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits. Discuss travel, per diem, tool and truck allowances separately. Percentiles describe the occupation's wage distribution, not seniority, plant size, job complexity or credentials. Licensing, union agreements and prevailing-wage obligations depend on the work and assignment; these figures do not establish a premium for them.
Official BLS wage definitions | Source dates and methodology
BLS definitions, verbatim
wages
Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
hours
Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly wages by 2,080 hours; for occupations where hourly wages are not published, annual wages were taken directly from the reported survey data.
Target metros
New York City and Northern New Jersey share the New York-Newark-Jersey City BLS area and one estimate, shown once below.
| Metro | Median | 25th to 75th percentile | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $59,740 | $51,800 to $73,860 | 70 | 1.56 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $51,200 | $50,650 to $59,760 | 50 | 2.31 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $46,060 | $46,060 to $51,170 | 60 | 2.92 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | Not published by BLS for this area. National annual median: $73,300. | |||
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | Not published by BLS for this area. National annual median: $73,300. | |||
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | Not published by BLS for this area. Texas annual median: $66,140. | |||
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $70,030 | $66,580 to $70,930 | 80 | 1.54 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | Not published by BLS for this area. National annual median: $73,300. | |||
How does Pile Driver pay differ by industry?
These are national industry estimates for SOC 47-2072, not local offers or separate estimates for the niche title. Industry names are exactly as BLS publishes them.
| Industry | NAICS | Median | Basis | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | 23 | $74,670 | Annual | 2,110 |
| Construction of Buildings | 236000 | $66,140 | Annual | 260 |
| Nonresidential Building Construction | 236200 | $66,140 | Annual | 240 |
| Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction | 237000 | $68,380 | Annual | 1,300 |
| Utility System Construction | 237100 | $53,670 | Annual | 200 |
| Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction | 237300 | $92,980 | Annual | 490 |
| Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction | 237900 | $64,370 | Annual | 610 |
| Specialty Trade Contractors | 238000 | $91,330 | Annual | 540 |
| Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors | 238100 | $102,030 | Annual | 220 |
| Other Specialty Trade Contractors | 238900 | $79,350 | Annual | 270 |
Industry estimates are national. Do not combine an industry median with a local percentile to invent an industry-specific local rate.
Which related roles have a different BLS occupation?
A supervisory occupation is not an experience percentile for the craft. Compare the actual responsibilities and the published SOC.
Demolition Foreman (47-2061)Demolition Superintendent (47-2061)HDD Crew Foreman (47-2073)Which metros publish the highest and lowest medians?
This ranking uses the May 2025 annual median for Pile Driver Operators. It is not adjusted for living costs. A metro is a BLS statistical area, not just the city limits. Top-coded or suppressed medians are not ranked.
| Metro | Median | Employment | Location quotient | Trade median / all-occupations median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $132,850 | 70 | 2.05 | 1.79 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $124,670 | 70 | 4.53 | 2.09 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $121,900 | 90 | 2.26 | 1.83 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $111,070 | 50 | 2.7 | 1.83 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $106,660 | 130 | 1.36 | 1.91 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $104,870 | 50 | 1.93 | 2.17 |
| Anchorage, AK | $89,880 | 80 | 29.46 | 1.49 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $70,030 | 80 | 1.54 | 1.42 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | $66,140 | 90 | 39.01 | 1.36 |
| New Orleans-Metairie, LA | $61,610 | 40 | 5.64 | 1.30 |
The wage ratio is simple arithmetic: this occupation's median divided by the all-occupations median in the same area and unit. It is not a cost-of-living measure. Location quotient describes the concentration of employment, not relative pay. Neither predicts what a particular candidate will accept.
What do these published wages mean for an offer?
Skilled Trades Headhunters reads the May 2025 figures for Pile Driver Operators (SOC 47-2072) in National (reference for Pile Driver) as an offer reference, not a quote for a particular candidate. For Pile Driver Operators (SOC 47-2072) in National (reference for Pile Driver), the published median for SOC 47-2072, Pile Driver Operators, is $73,300 per year. The middle half of the Pile Driver Operators (SOC 47-2072) in National (reference for Pile Driver) wage distribution runs from $58,510 to $106,430, a width of $47,920 per year; that spread shows how much published pay varies within the occupation and area, without assigning experience levels.
For the national Pile Driver Operators (SOC 47-2072) comparison used for Pile Driver, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA reports $106,660 per year while Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX reports $66,140 per year; these are the largest-employment metros with published medians for the occupation, rather than neighboring places to a national estimate. The United States Pile Driver Operators (SOC 47-2072) reference for Pile Driver pools markets with different work scopes and schedules, so use the area table before setting a local offer.
The highest published medians among the selected national industry rows for Pile Driver Operators, read alongside Pile Driver Operators (SOC 47-2072) in National (reference for Pile Driver), are Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors at $102,030 per year (NAICS 238100); Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction at $92,980 per year (NAICS 237300); Specialty Trade Contractors at $91,330 per year (NAICS 238000). Those Pile Driver Operators (SOC 47-2072) in National (reference for Pile Driver) industry comparisons are national cross-sections, not local industry estimates; BLS does not give us a metro-by-industry wage cut here, and overlapping industry groups should not be added together.
The Pile Driver Operators (SOC 47-2072) in National (reference for Pile Driver) median was $70,510 per year in May 2024, compared with $73,300 in May 2025, a published difference of $2,790. That Pile Driver Operators (SOC 47-2072) in National (reference for Pile Driver) comparison is between separate BLS releases, not the raise paid to the same workers or a projection of next year's offer. Read the $70,510 and $73,300 Pile Driver Operators (SOC 47-2072) in National (reference for Pile Driver) estimates with both dates visible, because the employers and workers represented by the survey can change.
Before using $73,300 per year from Pile Driver Operators (SOC 47-2072) in National (reference for Pile Driver) to calibrate an offer, separate on-call duties, overtime, travel reimbursement, tool replacement and any truck allowance separately; prevailing wage and union requirements must be checked against the actual assignment. The Pile Driver Operators (SOC 47-2072) in National (reference for Pile Driver) BLS comparison measures straight-time gross wages, including commissions and production bonuses, but excludes overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits. A candidate's take-home pay and the employer's total cost for Pile Driver Operators (SOC 47-2072) in National (reference for Pile Driver) can therefore differ from the median without either number being an error.
The mapping for Pile Driver Operators (SOC 47-2072) in National (reference for Pile Driver) is broader: BLS groups Pile Driver within Pile Driver Operators; it does not publish this niche title or credential level separately. For a Pile Driver Operators (SOC 47-2072) in National (reference for Pile Driver) opening, establish the equipment, license requirements and responsibility before deciding which people the pay range should attract. A broader occupation can combine jobs that a Pile Driver Operators (SOC 47-2072) in National (reference for Pile Driver) buyer would screen separately, which is why the badge and SOC remain beside the figures.
Questions about this occupation and area
What does the middle-half band tell a Pile Driver Operators (SOC 47-2072) in National (reference for Pile Driver) buyer?
Pile Driver Operators (SOC 47-2072) in National (reference for Pile Driver) has a published middle-half band of $58,510 to $106,430, a width of $47,920 per year, with median $73,300. An offer inside that Pile Driver Operators (SOC 47-2072) in National (reference for Pile Driver) band is not automatically competitive for every scope; match the required work and the separate pay terms first.
Which areas should I compare before hiring Pile Driver Operators (SOC 47-2072) in National (reference for Pile Driver)?
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA and Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX are the largest-employment comparison markets used for Pile Driver Operators (SOC 47-2072) in National (reference for Pile Driver). Comparing those Pile Driver Operators tables with the $73,300 Pile Driver Operators (SOC 47-2072) in National (reference for Pile Driver) median does not measure commuting costs or predict what a particular applicant will accept.
Are the industry figures local to Pile Driver Operators (SOC 47-2072) in National (reference for Pile Driver)?
Pile Driver Operators (SOC 47-2072) in National (reference for Pile Driver) uses national industry rows for SOC 47-2072, not local sector-specific wages. Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors leads the selected sortable rows at $102,030 per year, but that national industry figure is not a quoted offer for Pile Driver Operators (SOC 47-2072) in National (reference for Pile Driver).
What changed between the releases for Pile Driver Operators (SOC 47-2072) in National (reference for Pile Driver)?
Pile Driver Operators (SOC 47-2072) in National (reference for Pile Driver) moved from $70,510 in May 2024 to $73,300 in May 2025. These Pile Driver Operators (SOC 47-2072) in National (reference for Pile Driver) published medians do not describe an individual raise or establish a future wage trend.
What changed since May 2024
SOC 47-2072. Published annual median: $70,510 (May 2024) and $73,300 (May 2025). These are two BLS releases, not a projection.