Plumbers Salary: $48,710 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 33,580 plumbers work nationally, and $48,710 is the BLS national median annual wage. Projections imply about 6.1% annual decline; much hiring sits in construction.
Plumbers: what the data shows
Common questions about plumbers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a plumbers?
Plumbers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 47-2151.
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 33,580 workers.
What does a plumbers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Handling and Moving Objects, Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Controlling Machines and Processes, Performing General Physical Activities, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a plumbers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $48,710 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $79,263 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $48,814 |
| 25th percentile | $57,852 |
| Median (50th) | $80,385 |
| 75th percentile | $101,673 |
| 90th percentile | $116,352 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Active Listening, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Quality Control Analysis, and knowledge areas including Building and Construction, Mechanical, Mathematics, Public Safety and Security. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is plumbers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 6.1% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -27.1%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -46.9%.
Current U.S. headcount: 33,580.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do plumberss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 33,580 | 19.1% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 27,980 | 15.9% |
| Construction | 26,610 | 15.2% |
| Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction | 16,920 | 9.6% |
| Utility System Construction | 13,640 | 7.8% |
| Specialty Trade Contractors | 8,610 | 4.9% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Plumbers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical and Electronics Repairers | 59,990 | $71,300 |
| Carpenters | 697,740 | $59,310 |
| HVAC Technicians | 396,870 | $59,810 |
| Electricians | 742,580 | $62,350 |
| Mechanical Engineers | 286,760 | $102,320 |
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | 136,390 | $78,680 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 75,710 | $155,020 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Plumbers workforce.
Employment Over Time
33,580 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Plumbers shrank from 15,480 in 2009 to 5,620 in 2025 (63.7%).
Historical employment for Plumbers from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$48,710 Median pay (BLS national)
Plumbers earn $48,710 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Plumbers.
Salary distribution for Plumbers.
Employment Growth Projections
-6.1% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
4,094 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -27.1%
2,983 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -46.9%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Plumbers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Plumbers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Plumbers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Plumbers.
Wage Trends by Industry
3.1% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: 26.9% growth (Current: $83,961)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Plumbers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Plumbers.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- TX: 6,200 employees, $44,930 avg wage
- FL: 4,240 employees, $46,690 avg wage
- NC: 3,120 employees, $45,750 avg wage
- GA: 1,860 employees, $46,290 avg wage
- CA: 1,720 employees, $77,000 avg wage
- WA: 1,360 employees, $80,670 avg wage
- VA: 1,200 employees, $50,090 avg wage
- IN: 1,160 employees, $70,200 avg wage
- OH: 900 employees, $62,120 avg wage
- AL: 720 employees, $43,940 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Plumbers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 1,730 employees, $45,790 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 1,630 employees, $45,140 avg wage
- Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC: 1,050 employees, $47,510 avg wage
- Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 1,010 employees, $48,300 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 940 employees, $49,290 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 820 employees, $84,010 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 790 employees, $49,330 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 660 employees, $58,230 avg wage
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL: 660 employees, $46,600 avg wage
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL: 590 employees, $47,480 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Plumbers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Plumbers in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Plumbers is about 33,580 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Plumbers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Plumbers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Plumbers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Plumbers in 2023 were Plumbing Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Technical Training.
Common majors for Plumbers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Plumbers workers.
Education level distribution for Plumbers.
Skills
Plumbers need many skills, but most especially Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Active Listening, Coordination, Critical Thinking.
Required skills for Plumbers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Plumbers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Plumbers include Building and Construction, Mechanical, Mathematics, Public Safety and Security, Design.
Knowledge areas required for Plumbers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Plumbers include Arm-Hand Steadiness, Control Precision, Oral Comprehension, Near Vision, Extent Flexibility.
Required abilities for Plumbers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Plumbers.
Daily Activities
Plumbers spend their time on activities such as Handling and Moving Objects, Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Controlling Machines and Processes, Performing General Physical Activities.
Most important work activities for Plumbers.
About
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
Plumbers earn $48,710 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
47-2151 - Plumbers
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Plumbers reports an average salary of $79,263.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 33,580 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -6.1%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.