Plumbing Technology Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Plumbing Technology maps to BLS occupations averaging about $79,263, with roughly 50,000 workers nationwide in those roles. About 1,479 bachelor's completions in IPEDS 2023; modeled 10-year ROI is about 684% on median net price.
Key Statistics
Plumbing Technology: what the data shows
Common questions about plumbing technology degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a plumbing technology degree?
A Plumbing Technology program is classified under NCES CIP 46.0503 in the Plumbing and Related Water Supply Services field family (46.05).
A program that prepares individuals to practice as licensed plumbers by applying technical knowledge and skills to lay out, assemble, install, and maintain piping fixtures and systems for steam, natural gas, oil, hot water, heating, cooling, drainage, lubricating, sprinkling, and industrial processing systems in home and business environments. Includes instruction in source determination, water distribution, waster removal, pressure adjustment, basic physics, technical mathematics, blueprint reading, pipe installation, pumps, welding and soldering, plumbing inspection, and applicable codes and standards.
IPEDS counted 2,780 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of plumbing technology degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 46.05 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Blasting/Blaster (CIP 46.0505)
- Pipefitting/Pipefitter and Sprinkler Fitter (CIP 46.0502)
- Well Drilling/Driller (CIP 46.0504)
How long does it take to get a plumbing technology degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 46.0503 in our file:
- 116 Associate (6.5% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
- 1,479 Bachelor's (83.1% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 116 Master's (6.5% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
- 68 Doctorate (3.8% of IPEDS total)—varies by program
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What do you learn in plumbing technology?
O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Active Listening, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Quality Control Analysis, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.
What degree do you need?
For Plumbers (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%). Bachelor's awards account for a majority of IPEDS completions for CIP 46.0503, but occupation data show multiple pathways.
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a plumbing technology degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Plumbing Technology to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Plumbers | 33,580 | $48,710 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a plumbing technology degree worth it?
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $11,790 and median net price is $15,944.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Plumbing Technology and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$11,790 Median In-State Public
$14,343 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Plumbing Technology majors are, on average, $11,790 for in-state public colleges, and $14,343 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Plumbing Technology programs.
Institutions awarding the most Plumbing Technology degrees
| # | Institution | State | Completions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apex Technical School | NY | 193 |
| 2 | South Florida Institute of Technology | FL | 164 |
| 3 | NUC University | PR | 160 |
| 4 | Columbus State Community College | OH | 144 |
| 5 | Dixie Technical College | UT | 69 |
| 6 | American River College | CA | 68 |
| 7 | Rio Salado College | AZ | 65 |
| 8 | Porter & Chester Institute | CT | 59 |
| 9 | Jefferson Community and Technical College | KY | 56 |
| 10 | J F Ingram State Technical College | AL | 55 |
IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), all award levels for this CIP in our extract.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
2,780 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Plumbing Technology from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Plumbing Technology.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ivy Tech Community College | IN | 58,267 |
| 2 | Ivy Tech Community College | IN | 58,267 |
| 3 | Miami Dade College | FL | 46,182 |
| 4 | NUC University | PR | 28,918 |
| 5 | College of Southern Nevada | NV | 27,252 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Plumbing Technology programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego City College | CA | $1,146 |
| 2 | San Diego City College | CA | $1,146 |
| 3 | College of the Canyons | CA | $1,166 |
| 4 | Los Angeles Trade Technical College | CA | $1,238 |
| 5 | Los Angeles Trade Technical College | CA | $1,238 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Plumbing Technology programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | College of San Mateo | CA | $536 |
| 2 | Henry Ford College | MI | $660 |
| 3 | Henry Ford College | MI | $660 |
| 4 | Radford M Locklin Technical College | FL | $987 |
| 5 | Cleveland Community College | NC | $995 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Plumbing Technology programs.
Graduation Rates
54.82% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)
54.66% Average Graduation Rate
205 Institutions Reporting
42.42% - 69.86% Interquartile Range
Graduation/completion rates for Plumbing Technology programs across institutions.
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 46.05 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Blasting/Blaster CIP 46.0505
- Pipefitting/Pipefitter and Sprinkler Fitter CIP 46.0502
- Well Drilling/Driller CIP 46.0504
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 46.0503 in the survey year used in our extract (1,779 total across levels below).
- 116 Associate (6.5% of IPEDS total)
- 1,479 Bachelor's (83.1% of IPEDS total)
- 116 Master's (6.5% of IPEDS total)
- 68 Doctorate (3.8% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $79,263. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Plumbing Technology graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Plumbers | $79,263 | 33,580 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$79,263 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Plumbing Technology majors is $79,263.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Plumbing Technology majors.
Occupations by Share
50,000 2023 Workforce
The number of Plumbing Technology graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Plumbing Technology by share of the total number of graduates.
Return on Investment & Value
Debt and earnings fields below come from College Scorecard where present in our degree extract.
Financial value (extract)
$18,750 Median Student Debt
$50,000 Median Annual Earnings (10 years after enrollment)
37.50% Debt-to-Earnings Ratio
3.8 years Estimated Payback Period (assuming 10% of income)
683.99% Return on Investment (10-year earnings vs 4-year cost)
Ten-year earnings in this extract exceed four years of median net price.
$63,776 Estimated Total Cost (4 years at median net price)
Financial value comparison for Plumbing Technology degree.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Plumbing Technology in the United States.
Workforce Age
40.0 Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Plumbing Technology.
Age distribution for Plumbing Technology degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
2,780 Total Degrees Awarded
2,598 Male (93.45%)
182 Female (6.55%)
Gender distribution of Plumbing Technology degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
1,197 White (43.06%)
843 Hispanic or Latino (30.32%)
372 Black or African American (13.38%)
56 Asian (2.01%)
55 Two or More Races (1.98%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Plumbing Technology degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Plumbing Technology are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Plumbing Technology.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Plumbing Technology field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Plumbing Technology majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Plumbing Technology majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Plumbing Technology majors.
About
A program that prepares individuals to practice as licensed plumbers by applying technical knowledge and skills to lay out, assemble, install, and maintain piping fixtures and systems for steam, natural gas, oil, hot water, heating, cooling, drainage, lubricating, sprinkling, and industrial processing systems in home and business environments. Includes instruction in source determination, water distribution, waster removal, pressure adjustment, basic physics, technical mathematics, blueprint reading, pipe installation, pumps, welding and soldering, plumbing inspection, and applicable codes and standards.
In 2023, 2,780 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Plumbing Technology.
CIP Code
46.0503 - Plumbing Technology
What the data shows
Men earned 6.5% of 2,780 Plumbing Technology completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $79,263. The largest mapped role by headcount is Plumbers (33,580 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $11,790 in-state at public colleges and $14,343 at private institutions for programs in this field.
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 U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.