Pile Driver Operators
Operate pile drivers mounted on skids, barges, crawler treads, or locomotive cranes to drive pilings for retaining walls, bulkheads, and foundations of structures such as buildings, bridges, and piers.
- Median annual earnings
- $72,679
- Projected change
- +5.1%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 2.86K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
71.2% of the workforce
Growing to 3.01K by 2035
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Build the skills
ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
The work
What pile driver operators do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Move hand and foot levers of hoisting equipment to position piling leads, hoist piling into leads, and position hammers over pilings.
- Move levers and turn valves to activate power hammers, or to raise and lower drophammers that drive piles to required depths.
- Drive pilings to provide support for buildings or other structures, using heavy equipment with a pile driver head.
- Conduct pre-operational checks on equipment to ensure proper functioning.
- Clean, lubricate, and refill equipment.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $46,896
- 25th percentile
- $57,298
- 50th percentile
- $72,679
- 75th percentile
- $106,550
- 90th percentile
- $131,198
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $72,679 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
147 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 71.2%
- Certificate
- 21%
- Some college
- 7.9%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Equipment Maintenance
- Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Troubleshooting
- Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Equipment Selection
- Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Pile Drivers18 postings
- 02Crane Drivers8 postings
- 03Heavy Civil Project Managers3 postings
- 04Renewable Energy Managers3 postings
- 05Crane Operators1 postings
- 06Heavy Equipment Operators1 postings
Top employers
- 01Bechtel5 postings
- 02Hubbard Construction Company3 postings
- 03MasTec3 postings
- 04Mccarthy Building Companies3 postings
- 05Webber Agency3 postings
- 06Aemp Corporation1 postings
- 07Blattner Energy1 postings
- 08Cpg Staffing1 postings
- 09Genpro Energy Solutions1 postings
- 10Helix Resources1 postings
- 11Hindsight International Llp1 postings
- 12Kemp Sigmon Construction1 postings
- 13Maylor Foundation Contractors1 postings
- 14Merrick & Company1 postings
- 15Morrison Contractors1 postings
- 16Ralph L Wadsworth Construction Company1 postings
- 17Savard Group, LLC, The1 postings
- 18Sons Marine Industrial1 postings
- 19Sterling Construction Company1 postings
- 20Yacht Lifters1 postings
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