Will AI replace plumbers?
Updated
Plumbers score 23 of 100 for AI exposure. 77% of their task time still needs a person. AI can do 7% today and speed up another 16%.
- 7% AI can do it
- 16% AI helps
- 77% Needs a person
Low exposure
Lower than 75% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 30 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 2 of them today, speeds up 4 and leaves 24 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Keep records of work assignments. Keeping work assignment records is routine administrative documentation. | 80% AI can do it |
| Review blueprints, building codes, or specifications to determine work details or procedures. AI can read and summarize blueprints and code requirements quickly. | 65% AI helps |
| Select pipe sizes, types, or related materials, such as supports, hangers, or hydraulic cylinders, according to specifications. Material selection from specs is lookup and calculation, reviewed by a person. | 62% AI helps |
| Estimate time, material, or labor costs for use in project plans. Cost estimates from plans are structured text and number work. | 62% AI can do it |
| Lay out full scale drawings of pipe systems, supports, or related equipment, according to blueprints. CAD and drafting from blueprints is digital, but layout needs checking. | 55% AI helps |
| Plan pipe system layout, installation, or repair, according to specifications. AI can draft layouts from specs, but site constraints need judgement. | 55% AI helps |
| Inspect structures to assess material or equipment needs, to establish the sequence of pipe installations, or to plan installation around obstructions, such as electrical wiring. On-site structural inspection needs physical presence, with some planning help. | 18% Needs a person |
| Direct helpers engaged in pipe cutting, preassembly, or installation of plumbing systems or components. Directing helpers is live supervision of people on site. | 15% Needs a person |
| Inspect, examine, or test installed systems or pipe lines, using pressure gauge, hydrostatic testing, observation, or other methods. Hydrostatic and pressure tests are hands-on checks on site. | 15% Needs a person |
| Locate and mark the position of pipe installations, connections, passage holes, or fixtures in structures, using measuring instruments such as rulers or levels. Marking positions in a structure requires on-site physical measuring. | 12% Needs a person |
Show the other 20 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Install automatic controls to regulate pipe systems. Control installation involves physical wiring and mounting on site. | 12% Needs a person |
| Fill pipes or plumbing fixtures with water or air and observe pressure gauges to detect and locate leaks. Pressurizing systems and reading gauges on site is physical. | 10% Needs a person |
| Inspect work sites for obstructions or holes that could cause structural weakness. Visual site inspection for hazards needs physical presence. | 10% Needs a person |
| Install underground storm, sanitary, or water piping systems, extending piping as needed to connect fixtures and plumbing. Underground digging and pipe laying is physical field work. | 8% Needs a person |
| Assemble pipe sections, tubing, or fittings, using couplings, clamps, screws, bolts, cement, plastic solvent, caulking, or soldering, brazing, or welding equipment. Joining pipe with solder, welds or couplings is hands-on work. | 8% Needs a person |
| Cut, thread, or hammer pipes to specifications, using tools such as saws, cutting torches, pipe threaders, or pipe benders. Cutting and threading pipe uses physical tools on site. | 8% Needs a person |
| Repair hydraulic or air pumps. Diagnosing and repairing pumps needs hands-on mechanical work. | 8% Needs a person |
| Install pipe systems to support alternative energy-fueled systems, such as geothermal heating or cooling systems. Installing geothermal piping is physical field installation. | 6% Needs a person |
| Shut off steam, water, or other gases or liquids from pipe sections, using valve keys or wrenches. Closing valves on site needs hands and physical presence. | 5% Needs a person |
| Modify, clean, or maintain pipe systems, units, fittings, or related machines or equipment, using hand or power tools. Cleaning and maintaining pipe systems needs hands-on tool use. | 5% Needs a person |
| Install pipe assemblies, fittings, valves, appliances such as dishwashers or water heaters, or fixtures such as sinks or toilets, using hand or power tools. Installing fixtures and appliances is hands-on physical work. | 4% Needs a person |
| Attach pipes to walls, structures, or fixtures, such as radiators or tanks, using brackets, clamps, tools, or welding equipment. Attaching pipes to structures with clamps and welds is physical. | 4% Needs a person |
| Install green plumbing equipment, such as faucet flow restrictors, dual-flush or pressure-assisted flush toilets, or tankless hot water heaters. Installing flow restrictors and tankless heaters is hands-on work. | 4% Needs a person |
| Install fixtures, appliances, or equipment designed to reduce water or energy consumption. Installing water and energy saving equipment is hands-on work. | 4% Needs a person |
| Operate motorized pumps to remove water from flooded manholes, basements, or facility floors. Operating pumps in flooded spaces is physical site work. | 4% Needs a person |
| Anchor steel supports from ceiling joists to hold pipes in place. Anchoring supports to joists is physical overhead work. | 3% Needs a person |
| Maintain or repair plumbing by replacing defective washers, replacing or mending broken pipes, or opening clogged drains. Washer swaps, pipe repairs and drain clearing are hands-on physical jobs. | 3% Needs a person |
| Repair or remove and replace system components. Removing and replacing components is physical repair work. | 3% Needs a person |
| Cut openings in structures to accommodate pipes or pipe fittings, using hand or power tools. Cutting openings in structures requires physical tool operation. | 3% Needs a person |
| Weld small pipes or special piping, using specialized techniques, equipment, or materials, such as computer-assisted welding or microchip fabrication. Specialized pipe welding is skilled physical work. | 3% Needs a person |
How plumbers compare
All occupations (923)
Construction and extraction (61)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $63,800 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 465,840 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- +6.8% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Hold a current state plumbing license for permitted work
- Check AI pipe layouts against site conditions before cutting
- Run labor and material estimates in job costing software
- Verify pipe and hanger selections against specifications in Excel
- Install valves, water heaters, and fixtures manually
Safer roles nearby
5 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about plumbers and AI
Will plumbers be replaced by AI?
Partly. About 2 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly keeping work assignment records and writing cost estimates from plans. The hands-on work of installing fixtures, repairing pipes, and anchoring supports stays with plumbers because it needs a person on site.
Will AI take over plumbing?
AI can already do 7% of the task time in plumbing and speeds up another 16%. People still do 77% of it. The US has 465,840 plumber jobs, with a projected change of +6.8% from 2024 to 2034.
Which plumbing tasks is AI taking over?
Record keeping and cost estimating lead the list. Keeping work assignment records scores 80 on exposure because it is routine administrative documentation. Estimating time, material, and labor costs scores 62 because cost figures from plans are structured number work. Blueprint review scores 65 since AI can summarize code requirements quickly.
Which plumbing tasks stay human?
Physical repair and installation stay human. Anchoring steel supports to ceiling joists, repairing or replacing system components, and cutting openings in structures each score just 3 on exposure. These tasks need hand and power tools used in walls and overhead spaces, where the plumber adjusts to the site as conditions change.
How can plumbers stay valuable?
Take on the site checks that AI layouts miss. Walk the job and confirm AI-drafted pipe routes against joists, slabs, and access points before cutting. Keep your state plumbing license current, and run estimates through job costing software and QuickBooks so bids match what the job actually costs.
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