Not exactly.
A gas fitter and a pipefitter do different work, but federal data files them together: BLS counts Gas Plumber, Industrial Gas Fitter, and Pipe Fitter as example titles inside one occupation — 47-2152, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters.
The working difference: a gas fitter works on fuel-gas piping in homes and other buildings — the systems the National Fuel Gas Code covers; a pipefitter installs and maintains pipes that may carry chemicals, acids, and gases, mostly in manufacturing, commercial, and industrial settings.
Gas fitter vs pipefitter: the short answer
Not exactly — they are different trades, and what they share is the federal filing category, not the work.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes one occupation, 47-2152, for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters, and its example titles include Plumber, Master Plumber, Pipe Fitter, Steamfitter, Sprinkler Fitter, Gas Plumber, and Industrial Gas Fitter.
So the federal wage and outlook data does not separate the two jobs — but the jobs themselves pull toward different systems.
| Gas fitter | Pipefitter | |
|---|---|---|
| System | Fuel-gas piping — the systems NFPA 54 covers in homes and other buildings | Pipes that may carry chemicals, acids, and gases |
| Where | Homes and other buildings (plus the utility side: the gas distribution system) | Mostly manufacturing, commercial, and industrial settings |
| BLS category | Both inside 47-2152 — one occupation, so one federal wage and outlook picture for both | |
The name shifts with the jurisdiction — Massachusetts licenses gas fitters, New Hampshire licenses fuel gas fitters, and BLS's example titles say Gas Plumber and Industrial Gas Fitter.
And if you searched "gas pipe fitter vs pipefitter," you will find that comparison here too.
Each side has its own deep dive: our gas fitter career guide and our pipefitter career guide.
There is a third member of the family, too — BLS describes plumbers as installing and repairing water, gas, and other piping systems — and where plumbing stops and gas work starts is its own question; see our plumber vs gas fitter comparison.
The scope: what each trade works on
The gas fitter's system is defined by a code.
NFPA 54, published jointly as ANSI Z223.1 — the National Fuel Gas Code — sets minimum safety requirements for the design and installation of fuel gas piping systems in homes and other buildings; NFPA lists 2027 as the current edition.
The edition your state enforces may differ — check with the adopting authority.
Louisiana's gas fitter exam, for example, is written on the 2021 International Fuel Gas Code rather than NFPA 54 — a reminder that the rules a gas fitter works under vary by jurisdiction.
That code's 2024 edition (section 406.4.1) requires gas piping to be tested at a pressure of at least 1-1/2 times the proposed maximum working pressure and not less than 3 psig, and local code or utility rules may be stricter.
Gas work also splits in two.
Building-side gas fitters work the fuel-gas piping in homes and other buildings; utility-side gas fitters work on the gas distribution system itself, where federal pipeline rules (49 CFR Part 192, Subpart N) require pipeline operators to qualify the individuals who perform covered tasks on a pipeline facility — and a person who is not qualified may perform a covered task only if directed and observed by a qualified individual.
The pipefitter's system is the process side.
BLS describes pipefitters and steamfitters as installing and maintaining pipes that may carry chemicals, acids, and gases, mostly in manufacturing, commercial, and industrial settings, with steamfitters specializing in systems for liquids or gases at high pressure.
That is the tell between the two trades: a gas fitter's week is the fuel-gas piping in homes and other buildings; a pipefitter's week is pipes in manufacturing, commercial, and industrial settings.
Both are pipe trades, and the federal data counts them together — but the systems and the settings differ.
Licensing: gas fitter credentials vs pipefitter credentials
Our research turned up no national licence for either trade — the credentials are state ones, and cities and counties can layer rules on top.
But the two credential maps differ.
On the gas side, standalone state gas-fitter credentials separate from the plumber licence were found in 14 jurisdictions: Alabama, Alaska (Plumber Gas), Arkansas, DC, Louisiana, Maine (propane & natural gas technician), Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire (fuel gas fitter), New Mexico, North Carolina (fuel piping), Utah (natural gas technician), Vermont, and Virginia.
Texas regulates LP-gas (propane) through the Railroad Commission instead.
And utility-side work runs on a different system: the pipeline operator qualifies the individuals who perform covered tasks under the federal Operator Qualification rule.
On the pipefitter side, licensing looks different.
A Massachusetts journeyman pipefitter licence requires 6,000 hours as a licensed OPSI pipefitter apprentice under a Massachusetts master pipefitter plus 450 hours of approved instruction (or equivalent out-of-state experience approved by the Bureau), then an OPSI exam.
Minnesota licenses master and journeyworker pipefitters through DLI for high-pressure (steam and process) piping.
And mechanical licences that include process piping but not plumbing were found in Michigan, Virginia, Oklahoma, and New Mexico (New Mexico's MM-4).
Outside those states, the map varies; our pipefitter license guide covers the state licences we found, and the gas fitter license guide does the same for the gas side.
Confirm the licence where you work
Pay: why there's no gas-fitter vs pipefitter wage to compare
Start with the honest limit: because BLS counts Gas Plumber, Industrial Gas Fitter, and Pipe Fitter inside the single combined occupation 47-2152, it publishes no separate wage or outlook for pipefitters — and our research found no gas-fitter-only BLS figure either.
A precise "gas fitter vs pipefitter pay gap" is not a number federal data can produce.
What BLS does publish is the combined occupation.
In May 2025 (OEWS, released May 15, 2026), the median wage was $30.67 an hour, or $63,800 a year — half earned more, half earned less — and the middle half earned between $50,190 and $85,110.
BLS projects 6.8 percent employment growth from 2025 to 2035, above the 3.5 percent all-occupation average, with about 42,000 openings a year.
Note what the survey measures: OEWS wages exclude overtime pay, shift differentials, and nonproduction bonuses, so workers who log overtime can out-earn the published figures.
For the state-by-state numbers, see the gas fitter salary and pipefitter salary pages — both report the same combined-occupation data behind the role you search.
This page is career information, not legal or licensing advice. Gas-fitter and pipefitter licensing is set by state boards — and sometimes cities or counties — so confirm anything you rely on with the board that issues it.