How much do journeyman plumbers make in 2026?
Journeyman plumbers are paid from the BLS plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters series: OEWS May 2025 gives the SOC 47-2152 national median as $63,800 a year ($30.67 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $44,150 and the top 10% at $108,420. BLS records the trade rather than the licence, and the series also contains industrial pipefitters and steamfitters, so it is a broad reference — the journeyman rate sits around the middle of that band, because the licence is the trade's standard qualification rather than its ceiling. What it changes is concrete: your apprentice percentage schedule ends, you work unsupervised within the licence scope, and you become employable by any plumbing contractor rather than only your sponsor. Above the journeyman rate the ladder runs through service lead and foreman roles, specialty certifications such as backflow testing and medical gas, and then the master licence with permit-pulling authority. Employment is projected to grow 4.5% through 2034 with roughly 44,000 openings a year. → Full journeyman plumber career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $63,800 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Journeyman Plumbers earn a national median $63,800/yr ($30.67/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-2152); the P10 to P90 range is $44,150 to $108,420.
- BLS reports the trade rather than the licence, and pools plumbers with pipefitters, so the journeyman rate sits around the middle of the $44,150 to $108,420 band.
- Licensure ends the apprentice percentage schedule and makes you employable by any contractor, which is the largest single earnings step in the trade.
- Plumbing licence reciprocity is limited and sometimes municipal rather than statewide, so moving states usually means an application and often another examination.
US Journeyman Plumber Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do journeyman plumbers earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 47-2152; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-2152, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a journeyman plumber earn at each career stage?
The plumbing trade is a licence ladder, so the stages below follow credential tier and responsibility. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 47-2152.
By State
Which states pay journeyman plumbers the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the BLS national median for the series scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. Licensure geography is the practical constraint for journeymen: hour requirements, examinations and adopted codes differ, some jurisdictions license at city or county level, and reciprocity is selective. Holding licences in neighbouring states is a common hedge against a single market slowing.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($73,370), the highest-paying state shown. See all 51 state salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay journeyman plumbers the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the national median for the series scaled by the state wage index and then by that state's published metro index. They estimate local wage levels and are not BLS metropolitan-area observations.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a journeyman plumber’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does journeyman plumber pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Journeyman Plumbers sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify journeyman plumber wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a journeyman plumber actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Journeyman Plumber Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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