How much do plumbers make in 2026?
Plumbers are counted in the BLS plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters series: OEWS May 2025 puts the SOC 47-2152 national median at $63,800 a year ($30.67 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $44,150 and the top 10% at $108,420. The series pools plumbers with industrial pipefitters and steamfitters, whose work and pay differ, so it is a broad reference rather than a plumbing-specific wage. Within it the practical divide is service versus construction. Service and repair plumbing is billed by the call — drain and sewer work, water heaters, repipes and emergency callouts — and it supports call-out premiums, after-hours rates and, for licensed plumbers who go out on their own, a genuine business. New-construction plumbing is bid work paid by the hour with overtime on schedule-driven projects. The licence ladder from apprentice to journeyman to master governs who can do what and who can pull permits. Employment is projected to grow 4.5% through 2034 with roughly 44,000 openings a year. → Full 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.
- 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 pools plumbers with pipefitters and steamfitters in SOC 47-2152, so the $44,150 to $108,420 band covers several related trades rather than plumbing alone.
- Service and repair work supports call-out and after-hours premiums and is the easiest route to running your own business; new construction is bid work paid by the hour.
- The licence ladder — apprentice, journeyman, master — controls scope and permit authority, and the master licence is what makes contracting possible.
US Plumber Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do 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 plumber earn at each career stage?
Plumbing pay follows licence tier and whether you bill your own calls. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 47-2152.
By State
Which states pay 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. Plumbing licensure is state and sometimes municipal, with different hour requirements, examinations and code adoptions, and reciprocity is limited — so relocating mid-career usually means an application and often an examination. States that adopt stricter plumbing codes and enforce permits tend to support higher licensed rates because unlicensed work is harder to sell.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($73,370), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
plumber pay by state — all 16 state guides
By Metro
Which cities pay 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 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 plumber pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. 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 plumber wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a 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
Plumber Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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