Texas plumbers earn a median $59,840/yr ($28.77/hr) per BLS OEWS May 2025, about 6.2% below the national median of $63,800, though Texas has no state income tax so take-home frequently comes out ahead. Austin leads the state at $62,810 on data-center and commercial mechanical work, with Houston ($61,300) and Dallas–Fort Worth ($61,250) close behind. Pay climbs through the TSBPE ladder: apprentice, tradesman plumber-limited licence, journeyman, then master, and the master tier reaches the state P75 of $74,100. → Full plumber career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $59,840 blends every experience level, apprentice through master. For pay by license level alone, see Verified Placement Data below.
Texas Plumber Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2026
GlobalCybers Verified Placement Data · last verified July 2026
BLS OEWS is the most reliable public salary source, but it lags real market pay by 1–2 years — and it doesn't break out TSBPE license level. Pick a level to see how published pay compares to actual verified placements made through GlobalCybers' Texas plumber network.
All verified medians: GlobalCybers Texas plumber placements, trailing 12 months, updated July 2026. Tap a level below for the full gap breakdown.
Where the gap comes from — Tradesman Plumber-Limited Licence (TSBPE)
Data time lag +2.0% — OEWS publishes ~10 months late; residential wages in Texas rose with the state's population growth since.
OT excluded by OES +1.2% — Residential service and new-build overtime in the fast-growing Texas suburbs is not in the BLS wage.
New-hire (switcher) premium +0.7% — Tradesman licence holders switching residential contractors command a modest premium.
Verified-candidate selection +0.8% — Licence-verified tradesmen in our network sit above the broader residential pool.
Tradesman pay runs modestly above BLS, the dwelling limitation on the licence caps how far the premium can go.
Company names withheld per employer confidentiality agreements. Roles shown are a representative sample, not an exhaustive list.
Methodology & Sources
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2026, SOC 47-2152, Texas statewide 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.
Verified (GlobalCybers): The median base wage of candidates GlobalCybers placed into Texas plumber roles, by TSBPE license level, over the trailing 12 months. Every placement requires a confirmed TSBPElicense record and a signed offer letter before it's counted — no self-reported or unverified salary data is included.
Sample sizes are modest (n=7–26 depending on license level) because this reflects our own placement volume, not a market-wide survey — treat it as a directional, real-world data point alongside BLS, not a replacement for it.
Texas Markets
BLS MSA medians for Texas's largest plumber markets — local industrial demand matters more than city size alone.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2026. Dallas–Fort Worth leads the state at $61,250.
Getting Licensed
Register as a plumber's apprentice with the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners and begin logging supervised hours under a licensed plumber.
Accumulate the TSBPE-required on-the-job hours plus the mandatory classroom instruction before applying to test.
Sit the Tradesman Plumber-Limited Licence exam for residential work, or the Journeyman exam to work without the dwelling limitation.
After the required years as a journeyman, sit the TSBPE Master exam, the tier that can hold Responsible Master Plumber status and pull permits for a company.
TSBPE License Levels
Texas licenses issued by TSBPE (Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners). Each level's median pay in Texas markets.
TSBPE License ROI: Upgrading from a TSBPE Apprentice to TSBPE Journeyman in Texas adds a median $9,110/yr. TSBPE exam fees run well under $200. Full return in under 4 months. GlobalCybers pays your exam fees after placement →
Career Progression
License level sets your pay floor; years in the field (and the responsibility that comes with them) move you up within it.
GlobalCybers analysis of TX placements by years in trade, cross-referenced against BLS OEWS experience-tier estimates. Ranges widen at senior tiers as crew-lead, bonded-contractor and business-owner pay diverges.
Texas Sectors
Texas plumbing pay is set by sector, not by metro. Data-center and industrial mechanical work pays a premium that residential service in the same city cannot match.
State vs National
No state income tax, a Texas plumber at $59,840 takes home roughly $3,000 more than an Illinois plumber on the same gross.
Volume of work, Texas is adding commercial, data-center and residential mechanical work faster than TSBPE is licensing plumbers.
Portable statewide licence, one TSBPE licence works in Austin, Houston, Dallas and San Antonio, so you can chase the sector without re-testing.
Base median below national, $59,840 runs 6.2% under the $63,800 US median, because the national figure is lifted by union industrial states.
Thin union density, UA scale in Chicago and Boston far exceeds open-shop Texas commercial rates for the same SOC code.
Residential oversupply in the fast-growing suburbs keeps tradesman-tier pay under $50K until a full journeyman licence is earned.
By Employer Type
Texas is a right-to-work state with light union presence, but who signs your paycheck still moves your rate by $10 an hour or more.
Beyond Base Pay
BLS and verified-placement medians above are base wage only. Total comp for a TX plumber typically adds the following on top.
FAQ
Set your intent, matching jobs come to you. No applying.
A roadmap to your next licence tier and higher pay band.
Once placed, we cover all certification, licence & career-guide fees.
Hiring in Texas?
GlobalCybers verifies active state licenses, trade certifications, Intent and right-to-work status before any candidate reaches your portal. Flat $2,999/mo RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing), up to 3 concurrent roles, or a free trial (pay on hire). 90-day written guarantee.
Related · Plumber
Texas plumber pay, licensing, interview prep, and hiring — cross-linked so you can move from state salary data to the licence steps and local jobs in one place.