Salary Guide
Plumber Salary by State: How Much Do Plumbers Make?
What plumbers earn across the country, how pay climbs from apprentice to master, and why a self employed plumber earns on a different scale entirely.
Updated July 2026 · Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025, occupation code 47-2152
The median plumber earns $63,800 a year, or $30.67 an hour. Plumbing is one of the steadier trades to earn in, because aging pipes and water systems keep the work coming regardless of the economy, and because a plumbing license takes years to earn, which keeps supply tight and wages firm.
Two things move plumber pay more than anything else: your license level and whether you work for a shop or run your own. The sections below cover both, plus a full state by state table.
Plumber pay by license level
Plumbing is a state licensed trade, and pay rises at each rung: apprentice, journeyman, then master. Federal wage data does not label pay by license, so the percentile spread is the closest read on that climb.
Apprentice and newcomer
Near the 10th percentile
$44,150
Licensed journeyman
Around the median
$63,800
Experienced and master
Toward the 90th percentile
$108,420+
Plumber pay on the map
Plumber pay is far from uniform. States with heavy commercial and industrial pipefitting, and a higher cost of living, shade darker. Hover any state for its median wage.
<iframe src="https://www.jobpulse365.com/embed/plumber-salary-map" width="100%" height="560" style="border:0" title="Plumber Salary by State" loading="lazy"></iframe> <p style="font-size:12px">Source: <a href="https://www.jobpulse365.com/plumber-salary">Plumber Salary by State, JobPulse365</a></p>
Plumber salary by state
Median hourly and annual pay for plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with the entry and experienced ends of the range.
| State | Median hourly | Median annual | Entry, 10th | Experienced, 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $28.21 | $58,670 | $37,720 | $76,690 |
| Alaska | $45.15 | $93,920 | $53,730 | $122,660 |
| Arizona | $29.84 | $62,070 | $45,640 | $100,120 |
| Arkansas | $23.39 | $48,660 | $33,410 | $68,870 |
| California | $35.01 | $72,830 | $47,350 | $131,100 |
| Colorado | $30.40 | $63,240 | $47,770 | $100,240 |
| Connecticut | $37.16 | $77,280 | $45,670 | $102,990 |
| Delaware | $31.11 | $64,720 | $40,990 | $95,520 |
| District of Columbia | $48.57 | $101,020 | $52,310 | $117,180 |
| Florida | $25.44 | $52,910 | $38,940 | $73,610 |
| Georgia | $27.50 | $57,200 | $37,680 | $80,740 |
| Hawaii | $37.53 | $78,060 | $47,750 | $113,300 |
| Idaho | $25.18 | $52,380 | $39,430 | $82,620 |
| Illinois | $48.05 | $99,950 | $50,250 | $126,430 |
| Indiana | $36.69 | $76,320 | $46,890 | $102,520 |
| Iowa | $30.72 | $63,890 | $45,510 | $97,500 |
| Kansas | $31.36 | $65,220 | $39,130 | $109,290 |
| Kentucky | $30.84 | $64,160 | $44,860 | $94,710 |
| Louisiana | $30.62 | $63,680 | $38,120 | $79,540 |
| Maine | $30.77 | $64,000 | $48,120 | $80,760 |
| Maryland | $31.44 | $65,400 | $45,630 | $108,420 |
| Massachusetts | $45.14 | $93,880 | $52,010 | $135,080 |
| Michigan | $38.56 | $80,190 | $46,560 | $103,430 |
| Minnesota | $45.39 | $94,410 | $48,720 | $121,050 |
| Mississippi | $26.67 | $55,480 | $35,830 | $75,470 |
| Missouri | $32.11 | $66,790 | $44,780 | $117,180 |
| Montana | $38.44 | $79,960 | $48,250 | $100,860 |
| Nebraska | $29.31 | $60,970 | $42,830 | $98,030 |
| Nevada | $29.62 | $61,610 | $42,210 | $118,430 |
| New Hampshire | $32.12 | $66,810 | $44,850 | $87,730 |
| New Jersey | $37.61 | $78,240 | $48,720 | $136,710 |
| New Mexico | $29.54 | $61,440 | $36,160 | $87,700 |
| New York | $37.26 | $77,490 | $46,130 | $130,420 |
| North Carolina | $27.44 | $57,080 | $38,860 | $75,850 |
| North Dakota | $30.56 | $63,560 | $45,520 | $83,560 |
| Ohio | $30.45 | $63,330 | $45,470 | $101,410 |
| Oklahoma | $27.87 | $57,970 | $37,990 | $82,560 |
| Oregon | $46.66 | $97,050 | $58,230 | $147,100 |
| Pennsylvania | $32.73 | $68,080 | $46,770 | $134,110 |
| Rhode Island | $36.77 | $76,470 | $49,680 | $110,360 |
| South Carolina | $25.93 | $53,940 | $37,660 | $75,780 |
| South Dakota | $24.82 | $51,620 | $39,230 | $74,480 |
| Tennessee | $28.17 | $58,600 | $38,520 | $82,020 |
| Texas | $28.77 | $59,840 | $38,270 | $81,890 |
| Utah | $29.76 | $61,900 | $43,860 | $83,120 |
| Vermont | $29.89 | $62,170 | $48,800 | $91,940 |
| Virginia | $29.07 | $60,470 | $43,970 | $78,050 |
| Washington | $38.96 | $81,030 | $49,490 | $141,860 |
| West Virginia | $27.39 | $56,980 | $36,010 | $83,160 |
| Wisconsin | $39.04 | $81,210 | $50,020 | $120,070 |
| Wyoming | $30.01 | $62,410 | $43,770 | $80,030 |
Highest paying states for plumbers
District of Columbia tops the list at $101,020 a year. High pay states pair a higher cost of living with heavy commercial and industrial pipefitting work.
| Rank | State | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $101,020 | $48.57 |
| 2 | Illinois | $99,950 | $48.05 |
| 3 | Oregon | $97,050 | $46.66 |
| 4 | Minnesota | $94,410 | $45.39 |
| 5 | Alaska | $93,920 | $45.15 |
Where plumbing jobs are most common
Pay is only half the picture. These five states employ the most plumbers, which usually means more openings, more competition for good hands, and steadier year round work.
| Rank | State | Plumbers employed | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 47,660 | $72,830 |
| 2 | Texas | 44,090 | $59,840 |
| 3 | Florida | 29,260 | $52,910 |
| 4 | New York | 23,210 | $77,490 |
| 5 | Illinois | 16,750 | $99,950 |
What plumbers charge is not what they earn
A plumber might bill a customer well over a hundred dollars an hour, yet the wage figures above are far lower. That gap is not a contradiction. The billed rate covers the truck, tools, insurance, licensing, fuel, and the office, and the wage is what is left for the person doing the work. The federal survey also excludes self employed plumbers entirely, and a large share of the trade works for itself.
For a plumber who owns the business, income comes down to the rate you set, how many billable calls you run, and how little you lose to unpaid invoices and slow quotes. That is where software earns its keep, on estimates, invoicing, and payments.
Plumber salary questions
How much do plumbers make?
The national median wage for plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters is $63,800 a year, or $30.67 an hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 release (occupation code 47-2152).
How much do master plumbers make?
Federal data reports pay by percentile, not by license, so there is no separate master plumber figure. Experienced and master licensed plumbers cluster in the upper percentiles: the top 10 percent earn about $108,420 a year or more, well above the median of $63,800.
How much do apprentice plumbers make?
Apprentices and newer plumbers sit near the bottom of the range. The lowest paid 10 percent earn about $44,150 a year, rising toward the median of $63,800 as they earn their journeyman license.
Do plumbers make more than electricians?
They are close. The median plumber earns $63,800 a year, and the median electrician earns $63,190, so plumbers are slightly ahead at the median in the latest federal data. Both vary widely by state and experience.
Which state pays plumbers the most?
District of Columbia has the highest median plumber wage at $101,020 a year, and Arkansas the lowest at $48,660.
About this data
Figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 release, for plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters (occupation code 47-2152). Annual wages equal the hourly mean times 2,080 hours. The survey covers wage and salary workers and excludes self employed plumbers. View the source data at the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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