What is the salary and career path for a journeyman plumber?
Journeyman plumbers are reported inside Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (SOC 47-2152), a broad code combining three related trades with no separation by licence class. The occupation shows a median of $63,800/yr ($30.67/hr) in the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates, with $44,150 at the 10th percentile and $108,420 at the 90th, and Employment Projections show 4.5% growth 2024-2034 with about 44,000 openings a year. A newly licensed journeyman typically earns near the middle of that band, with the upper reaches occupied by masters, industrial fitters and contractors rather than by journeyman service work alone.
- Journeyman plumbers sit inside Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (SOC 47-2152), a broad three-trade code with a national median of $63,800/yr ($30.67/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025); the top 10% clear $108,420.
- Entry is a DOL Registered Apprenticeship of roughly five years - UA, ABC, PHCC or NCCER-based - typically 8,000 to 10,000 paid on-the-job hours plus several hundred classroom hours a year.
- The journeyman licence is what permits unsupervised work; it is issued by state plumbing boards in most states and by municipalities in some, and examined on the adopted UPC or IPC edition.
- BLS projects 4.5% growth 2024-2034 with about 44,000 openings a year; backflow, medical gas and gas-fitting endorsements are the clearest scope-and-pay expansions short of licensing up to master.
Career Path
How do you become a journeyman plumber?
Plumbing apprentice
Trenching, hanging and soldering under a licensed plumber while logging registered apprenticeship hours; entry pay sits near the SOC 47-2152 10th percentile of $44,150.
Journeyman plumber
Licensed to work unsupervised on rough-in, service and repair to the adopted plumbing code; around the BLS national median of $63,800 for the combined occupation.
Lead journeyman / service technician
Running a service truck on diagnostics and replacements, or leading rough-in crews with layout responsibility; tracks toward the 75th percentile of $85,110.
Master plumber / contractor
Licensing up to master, pulling permits and running contracting work reaches the 90th percentile at $108,420, with owners earning business income beyond wages.
BLS Salary Data
Which state pays journeyman plumbers the most in 2026?
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-2152. National median: $63,800. Full salary guide →
Pay Comparison
How does journeyman plumber pay compare to related roles?
Head-to-head against the roles journeyman plumbers most often weigh against. BLS OEWS May 2025 medians.
Takeaway: journeyman plumbers rank 2 of 4 on median pay among the comparable roles above, with a projected +4.5% employment change 2024–34 (BLS Employment Projections). Pay position and projected demand together are what determine how quickly journeyman plumbers clear offers across the GlobalCybers placement network.
Methodology & Sources
How this guide is sourced and reviewed
Wages (BLS): All median and percentile figures are BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-2152 (journeyman plumbers) and the matching SOC codes for each comparison role. OEWS is sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection, so treat it as a firm anchor rather than a spot rate.
Job growth: Projected 2024–34 employment change, and the average annual openings figure, are from the BLS Employment Projections program, by occupation. Openings are a per-year average over the projection decade, not a decade total.
Licensing & credentials:Requirements are drawn from the issuing state licensing boards and the certifying body behind each credential — not from third-party aggregators.
Demand signal:Any statement about how quickly this role clears offers reflects GlobalCybers placement request volume across the trailing 12 months — our own network data, offered as a directional real-world indicator alongside BLS, not a market-wide survey.
Credentials
What licences and certifications do journeyman plumbers need?
The credential permitting unsupervised plumbing work, obtained by documented apprenticeship hours plus a code examination administered by the state plumbing board or local jurisdiction. See all state licences →
A DOL Registered Apprenticeship of roughly five years combining paid on-the-job hours with classroom instruction; completion is the standard eligibility route for the journeyman exam.
ASSE International certification required by many water purveyors before a plumber may test or repair backflow prevention assemblies; a common and billable add-on.
Certification for brazing and installing medical gas piping in healthcare facilities under NFPA 99, a distinct and higher-rate specialisation within the licence.
Tools & Software
What tools and software do journeyman plumbers use on the job?
⚙️ Core Tools & Equipment
📊 BLS Employment Data, SOC 47-2152
Salary Levers
How do journeyman plumbers earn above the $63,800 BLS median?
Getting licensed
The single largest step: apprentice pay sits near the $44,150 10th percentile, and journeyman licensure moves earnings to around the $63,800 median with unsupervised work rates.
Service versus new construction
Service and repair work bills at higher rates than tract rough-in and carries on-call premiums, supporting a move toward the $85,110 75th percentile.
Endorsements - backflow, medical gas, gas fitting
Each endorsement adds work a general journeyman cannot legally perform, and medical gas work in healthcare construction is among the better-paid plumbing specialisations.
Licensing up to master and contracting
Master licensure and a contractor licence add permit authority and business margin, which is the practical route toward the $108,420 90th percentile.
This Route vs. College
Is becoming a journeyman plumber worth it vs. a 4-year degree?
The entry route into this role, set against a four-year degree. Same starting line, side by side.
Entry-level (10th percentile) and all-level median wages: BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-2152. Student-debt figure: median federal borrower balance for bachelor's-degree completers. Starting-salary comparison is illustrative and varies by field and region.
FAQ
Journeyman Plumber Career, Frequently Asked Questions
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