What is the salary and career path for a plumbing contractor?
There is no BLS wage series for plumbing contractors. The closest published code is First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers, SOC 47-1011, a broad supervisory code spanning every trade, so the figure is approximate and it captures salaried supervision rather than owner profit. That code shows an OEWS May 2025 median of $79,920 a year ($38.42 an hour), from $53,280 at the 10th percentile to $128,260 at the 90th. Becoming a contractor means holding a state master plumber or plumbing contractor licence — issued by a state plumbing board in most states, at city level in a few — carrying general liability insurance and a surety bond, and registering the business. BLS projects 5.3% growth for the supervisory code over 2024–2034 with roughly 74,400 openings a year.
- Plumbing Contractors earn a national median $79,920/yr ($38.42/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-1011); the top 10% clear $128,260.
- The credential is a state master plumber or plumbing contractor licence backed by a surety bond and insurance — no degree substitutes for it.
- BLS projects 5.3% growth for construction trades supervisors 2024–34, with about 74,400 openings a year.
- The ladder runs apprentice to journeyman to licensed contractor to a multi-crew plumbing and mechanical firm.
Career Path
How do you become a plumbing contractor?
Apprentice / journeyman plumber
Working under a licensed plumber and logging the hours a master licence application requires; supervisory pay in this code starts near $53,280.
Plumbing Contractor
Holding the master or contractor licence, pulling permits and running one or two crews, around the $79,920 median for SOC 47-1011.
Multi-crew contractor / service manager
Dispatching several trucks, carrying larger bonding capacity and bidding commercial work, toward the 75th percentile of $101,460.
Mechanical contracting owner
Running a plumbing and mechanical firm with estimators, project managers and a service department reaches the 90th percentile at $128,260.
BLS Salary Data
Which state pays plumbing contractors the most in 2026?
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-1011. National median: $79,920. Full salary guide →
Pay Comparison
How does plumbing contractor pay compare to related roles?
Head-to-head against the roles plumbing contractors most often weigh against. BLS OEWS May 2025 medians.
Takeaway: plumbing contractors rank 1 of 4 on median pay among the comparable roles above, with a projected +5.3% employment change 2024–34 (BLS Employment Projections). Pay position and projected demand together are what determine how quickly plumbing contractors 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 47-1011 (plumbing contractors) 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 plumbing contractors need?
Issued by the state plumbing board or equivalent; the licence a plumbing permit is pulled under and the legal basis for supervising journeymen and apprentices. See all state licences →
A separate registration in many states requiring a business-and-law exam, surety bond and proof of insurance before the firm may contract with the public.
ASSE 6010 certification through an accredited programme, required to install and braze medical gas piping in healthcare facilities.
ASSE or state-issued; lets the firm perform and certify the annual cross-connection tests water utilities require.
Tools & Software
What tools and software do plumbing contractors use on the job?
⚙️ Core Tools & Equipment
📊 BLS Employment Data, SOC 47-1011
Salary Levers
How do plumbing contractors earn above the $79,920 BLS median?
Owning the licence versus working under someone else's
A salaried plumbing supervisor sits near the $79,920 median; the contractor who holds the licence and the bond captures the job margin on top
Service and replacement work over new construction
Flat-rate service margins are what lift a firm above the $53,280 tenth percentile that a small supervisory role pays
Bonding capacity and commercial contracts
Larger bonding lets a contractor bid multifamily and institutional work, moving earnings toward the $101,460 seventy-fifth percentile
Multi-truck operations and mechanical scope
Adding crews, estimators and mechanical piping work is what reaches the $128,260 top decile
This Route vs. College
Is becoming a plumbing contractor 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 47-1011. Student-debt figure: median federal borrower balance for bachelor's-degree completers. Starting-salary comparison is illustrative and varies by field and region.
FAQ
Plumbing Contractor Career, Frequently Asked Questions
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