Pay

Plumber salary by state: what plumbers earn

Checked against official sources · Last reviewed October 12, 2026

What plumbers earn nationally (May 2025)

The BLS counts wages for plumbers through its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, which asks employers what they pay. The latest figures describe pay in May 2025:

• Median pay: $63,800 a year, or $30.67 an hour.
• Mean (average) pay: $72,170 a year, or $34.70 an hour.
• Bottom 10%: earned less than $44,150 a year ($21.22 an hour).
• Bottom 25%: earned less than $50,190 a year ($24.13 an hour).
• Top 25%: earned more than $85,110 a year ($40.92 an hour).
• Top 10%: earned more than $108,420 a year ($52.13 an hour).
• Jobs counted: 465,840 jobs. This survey does not count self-employed workers.

The industry with the most of those jobs was "Building Equipment Contractors" (340,140 jobs). The Occupational Outlook Handbook, which also counts self-employed workers, says the largest employers were "plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors" (65% of jobs). See the BLS plumber wage profile for the full tables.

You may see a bigger number elsewhere: the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook counts about 510,600 jobs in 2025. Its count includes self-employed workers (8% of those jobs), which the wage survey leaves out. All job counts on this page are from the wage survey. [1][3][4]

Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters: one group in the data

The BLS does not publish a pay figure for plumbers alone. Its wage survey uses one job code, 47-2152, called "Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters." The official definition of that code is: "Assemble, install, alter, and repair pipelines or pipe systems that carry water, steam, air, or other liquids or gases." It also "Includes sprinkler fitters."

What's the difference? In the BLS's words:

• Plumbers "install and repair water, gas, and other piping systems in homes, businesses, and factories." They also install fixtures such as "bathtubs and toilets" and appliances such as "dishwashers and water heaters."
• Pipefitters and steamfitters, "sometimes simply called fitters," work on pipes that "may carry chemicals, acids, and gases," mostly "in manufacturing, commercial, and industrial settings." Steamfitters "specialize in systems that are designed for the flow of liquids or gases at high pressure."

The BLS also says the three jobs "often have similar duties": they all "install pipes and fittings that carry water, gas, and other fluids and substances." So the numbers on this page are the best federal figures for plumbers, but they include fitters too.

Two more things to know about who is in the count. Apprentices are counted in this same group: under the federal job-coding rules, "Apprentices and trainees are classified with the occupations for which they are being trained." Plumber helpers are not. Helpers are a separate job code (47-3015, which also covers pipelayer helpers), with a national median of $42,360 a year ($20.36 an hour) in May 2025. See helper jobs for how a helper job can lead into the trade. [3][4][5][6]

Mean vs. median, in plain English

The median is the middle paycheck. In the BLS's words, it is "the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less." Half of plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters earned more than $63,800 and half earned less.

The mean is the plain average: add up everyone's pay and divide by the number of workers. A smaller group of high earners can pull the average up. Nationally, the mean ($72,170) is higher than the median ($63,800). The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook gives the median as its headline pay figure ("2025 Median Pay").

The yearly figures are hourly pay turned into a full-time year: BLS calculates them "by multiplying the hourly wages by 2,080 hours" (40 hours a week for 52 weeks). The survey also does not count self-employed plumbers: the estimates "do not include self-employed workers." [3][4]

Plumber pay by state (May 2025)

Each line shows the state's annual mean wage, annual median wage and the number of jobs the survey counted for plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters, all for May 2025, from the BLS state wage tables. The BLS published all three figures for every state and the District of Columbia; none were withheld. Each state links to its plumber licensing guide.

• Alabama: $57,750 annual mean, $58,670 median, 6,950 jobs
• Alaska: $90,460 annual mean, $93,920 median, 1,200 jobs
• Arizona: $67,940 annual mean, $62,070 median, 11,810 jobs
• Arkansas: $50,640 annual mean, $48,660 median, 3,370 jobs
• California: $82,320 annual mean, $72,830 median, 47,660 jobs
• Colorado: $69,090 annual mean, $63,240 median, 10,080 jobs
• Connecticut: $75,400 annual mean, $77,280 median, 5,410 jobs
• Delaware: $68,110 annual mean, $64,720 median, 1,590 jobs
• District of Columbia: $91,200 annual mean, $101,020 median, 1,010 jobs
• Florida: $56,030 annual mean, $52,910 median, 29,260 jobs
• Georgia: $58,220 annual mean, $57,200 median, 8,930 jobs
• Hawaii: $82,810 annual mean, $78,060 median, 2,500 jobs
• Idaho: $58,450 annual mean, $52,380 median, 3,090 jobs
• Illinois: $93,400 annual mean, $99,950 median, 16,750 jobs
• Indiana: $75,660 annual mean, $76,320 median, 11,280 jobs
• Iowa: $70,030 annual mean, $63,890 median, 5,730 jobs
• Kansas: $71,410 annual mean, $65,220 median, 4,590 jobs
• Kentucky: $68,870 annual mean, $64,160 median, 6,360 jobs
• Louisiana: $62,620 annual mean, $63,680 median, 8,360 jobs
• Maine: $66,570 annual mean, $64,000 median, 2,710 jobs
• Maryland: $73,510 annual mean, $65,400 median, 11,420 jobs
• Massachusetts: $90,410 annual mean, $93,880 median, 13,460 jobs
• Michigan: $77,250 annual mean, $80,190 median, 14,120 jobs
• Minnesota: $86,700 annual mean, $94,410 median, 10,720 jobs
• Mississippi: $56,690 annual mean, $55,480 median, 3,360 jobs
• Missouri: $75,010 annual mean, $66,790 median, 8,310 jobs
• Montana: $78,190 annual mean, $79,960 median, 1,860 jobs
• Nebraska: $65,710 annual mean, $60,970 median, 4,110 jobs
• Nevada: $71,510 annual mean, $61,610 median, 5,370 jobs
• New Hampshire: $66,230 annual mean, $66,810 median, 1,950 jobs
• New Jersey: $92,590 annual mean, $78,240 median, 8,750 jobs
• New Mexico: $61,790 annual mean, $61,440 median, 2,830 jobs
• New York: $83,790 annual mean, $77,490 median, 23,210 jobs
• North Carolina: $56,720 annual mean, $57,080 median, 14,510 jobs
• North Dakota: $66,160 annual mean, $63,560 median, 1,620 jobs
• Ohio: $69,700 annual mean, $63,330 median, 16,390 jobs
• Oklahoma: $58,970 annual mean, $57,970 median, 6,050 jobs
• Oregon: $98,450 annual mean, $97,050 median, 5,370 jobs
• Pennsylvania: $77,050 annual mean, $68,080 median, 13,620 jobs
• Rhode Island: $81,610 annual mean, $76,470 median, 1,820 jobs
• South Carolina: $55,890 annual mean, $53,940 median, 5,770 jobs
• South Dakota: $55,530 annual mean, $51,620 median, 1,760 jobs
• Tennessee: $60,500 annual mean, $58,600 median, 9,270 jobs
• Texas: $60,780 annual mean, $59,840 median, 44,090 jobs
• Utah: $64,210 annual mean, $61,900 median, 7,030 jobs
• Vermont: $68,980 annual mean, $62,170 median, 980 jobs
• Virginia: $60,650 annual mean, $60,470 median, 13,780 jobs
• Washington: $88,800 annual mean, $81,030 median, 12,470 jobs
• West Virginia: $58,780 annual mean, $56,980 median, 1,830 jobs
• Wisconsin: $84,720 annual mean, $81,210 median, 10,210 jobs
• Wyoming: $61,890 annual mean, $62,410 median, 1,140 jobs

[2]

Highest- and lowest-paying states

Ranked by annual mean wage in May 2025, the five highest-paying states for plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters were:

• Oregon: $98,450
• Illinois: $93,400
• New Jersey: $92,590
• Alaska: $90,460
• Massachusetts: $90,410

The District of Columbia is not a state, but its mean of $91,200 would rank fourth on that list.

The five lowest were Arkansas ($50,640), South Dakota ($55,530), South Carolina ($55,890), Florida ($56,030) and Mississippi ($56,690).

The states with the most of these jobs were California (47,660), Texas (44,090), Florida (29,260), New York (23,210) and Illinois (16,750).

In 13 states, including Illinois, Minnesota and Alaska, the median is higher than the mean. In those states the middle worker earns more than the state average. [1][2]

Journeyman plumber salary

A journeyman (the BLS says "journey-level") is a plumber who has finished an apprenticeship and passed a licensing exam. The BLS puts it this way: workers "complete an apprenticeship program and pass the required licensing exam to become journey-level workers," and they are "qualified to perform tasks independently." See what is a journeyman for how this works in each state.

The BLS wage survey does not split pay by license level. Under the federal job-coding rules, "Licensed and non-licensed workers performing the same work should be coded together in the same detailed occupation," and apprentices are counted with the trade they are training for. So apprentices, journeymen and master plumbers who work for an employer are all counted in the same group, and there is no official "journeyman plumber salary" figure. (One exception: workers who spend "80 percent or more of their time" supervising are counted separately, as construction supervisors.) The national median of $63,800 is the middle of that whole group.

Pay also differs by the kind of employer. The BLS gives these median annual wages for May 2025:

• Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals: $71,660
• Manufacturing: $65,770
• Heavy and civil engineering construction: $63,270
• Plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors: $63,010

After the journeyman level, the BLS says plumbers "may advance to become a master plumber, supervisor, or project manager," and some "start their own business as an independent contractor, which may require additional licensing." For how a journeyman and a master plumber differ, with examples from three states, see journeyman vs. master. The plumber licensing hub has the license levels and rules in your state. [4][6]

Apprentice pay: how it rises

Most plumbers start as apprentices: they work paid jobs and take classes at the same time. The BLS says most learn the trade "through a 4- or 5-year apprenticeship," and apprentices "typically receive 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training, as well as some technical instruction, each year." It also says: "Apprentices earn less than fully trained plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters. However, their pay increases as they learn to do more."

Who runs these programs? The BLS says: "Apprenticeship programs are sponsored by unions, trade associations, and businesses." So there are union programs and non-union (open-shop) programs; see union vs. non-union for how they differ.

If your apprenticeship is registered (approved by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship or a recognized State Apprenticeship Agency), federal rules set a floor. Under 29 CFR 29.5(b)(5), every registered program must have "A progressively increasing schedule of wages to be paid to the apprentice consistent with the skill acquired." The starting wage "must not be less than the minimum wage prescribed by the Fair Labor Standards Act, where applicable, unless a higher wage is required by other applicable Federal law, State law, respective regulations, or by collective bargaining agreement." In plain terms: where the federal minimum wage law applies, your starting pay can't be lower than the federal minimum wage (or a higher rate if a state law or a union contract, called a collective bargaining agreement, requires one), and your pay has to go up as your skills grow.

The exact pay steps are set in each program's standards, so ask the program for its wage schedule before you apply. See how to get an apprenticeship for the steps to apply. [4][7][8]

Questions people ask