Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers vs Pipelayers: $57K vs $49K Median Pay

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers vs Pipelayers: what changes?

Consider Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers if you want to smooth and finish surfaces of poured concrete, such as floors, walks, sidewalks, roads, or curbs using a variety of hand and power tools. Consider Pipelayers if you would rather lay pipe for storm or sanitation sewers, drains, and water mains. Both list no formal educational credential; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers and Pipelayers. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers

National median pay (2025): $57,020
Route into the job: No formal educational credential; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Check the forms that hold the concrete to see that they are properly constructed.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 13,600

Know before you choose

The work can involve real occupational hazards. Training, protective equipment, and routine safety discipline matter every day.

See the full Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers brief

Pipelayers

National median pay (2025): $49,000
Route into the job: No formal educational credential; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Grade or level trench bases, using tamping machines or hand tools.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 2,100

Know before you choose

BLS projects employment to shrink 3.1% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

See the full Pipelayers brief

How the national numbers differ

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers has the edge on annual openings

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers is at 13,600 annual openings, compared with 2,100 annual openings for Pipelayers.

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers has the edge on projected growth

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers is at 1.6% projected growth, compared with -3.1% projected growth for Pipelayers.

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers has the edge on median pay

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers is at $57,020, compared with $49,000 for Pipelayers.

55.5/ 100

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers

35.2/ 100

Pipelayers

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers vs Pipelayers

Dimension	Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers	Pipelayers
Median pay (2025)	$57,020	$49,000
Pay percentile	42.3 percentile	29.8 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	1.6%	-3.1%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	13,600	2,100
2025 employment	204,800	33,200
How you qualify	No formal educational credential; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	No formal educational credential; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 2	Job Zone 2
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers brief Read Pipelayers brief

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers vs Pipelayers: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers

Pipelayers

How the national numbers differ

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers has the edge on annual openings

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers has the edge on projected growth

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers has the edge on median pay

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers vs Pipelayers

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