Plumber Salary by Metro Area: 49 US Metros Ranked on May 2025 Federal Data

What this page is. Plumber pay across 49 of the largest US metropolitan areas, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, occupation code 47-2152, May 2025 reference period released 15 May 2026. It publishes the 90th percentile alongside the median, because the metros that pay the most at the middle are not the metros that offer the most at the top.

What the table shows

• Chicago pays the highest metro median in the country at 103,380 dollars, 62.0 percent above the national median of 63,800.
• Tampa pays the lowest of the 49 metros at 52,000 dollars, 18.5 percent below national.
• The gap between top and bottom metro is 51,380 dollars, almost a factor of two.
• Four metros clear 95,000 dollars: Chicago, Minneapolis at 101,630, Portland at 101,010 and Boston at 96,760, with Seattle just behind at 95,230.
• New York has the largest plumber workforce in the country at 21,040 but ranks only ninth on median pay at 78,610 dollars.
• Of the five largest metro workforces, two pay below the national median: Dallas at minus 4.0 percent and Houston at minus 3.9 percent.
• The highest-paying metros have the narrowest earnings ceilings. Chicago’s 90th percentile is 1.23 times its median and Minneapolis 1.20, against 2.01 in Sacramento and 2.00 in Las Vegas.
• San Francisco has the highest 90th percentile in the country at 155,330 dollars despite ranking tenth on median.
• All five Texas and Florida metros in the table pay below the national median.

Every metro, ranked

Ceiling is the 90th percentile divided by the median. A high ceiling means a wide spread between typical and top earners in that market.

Rank	Metro area	Median	Mean	90th percentile	Ceiling	Employment	vs national
1	Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	103,380	96,430	127,200	1.23	12,750	+62.0%
2	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	101,630	92,030	121,720	1.20	6,730	+59.3%
3	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	101,010	100,710	147,100	1.46	4,600	+58.3%
4	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	96,760	92,810	143,950	1.49	9,200	+51.7%
5	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	95,230	96,250	153,500	1.61	6,350	+49.3%
6	Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	86,370	81,710	107,780	1.25	5,520	+35.4%
7	Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI	84,700	89,150	124,470	1.47	2,760	+32.8%
8	Providence-Warwick, RI-MA	79,820	82,000	110,770	1.39	3,000	+25.1%
9	New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA	78,610	90,820	145,480	1.85	21,040	+23.2%
10	San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA	77,880	92,380	155,330	1.99	5,660	+22.1%
11	Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, CT	77,190	74,860	102,180	1.32	1,850	+21.0%
12	St. Louis, MO-IL	77,000	81,070	121,230	1.57	4,060	+20.7%
13	Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN	76,980	76,260	102,370	1.33	4,010	+20.7%
14	Kansas City, MO-KS	76,150	79,030	122,820	1.61	3,740	+19.4%
15	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	74,860	83,660	142,210	1.90	7,150	+17.3%
16	Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN	74,680	71,560	94,920	1.27	2,780	+17.1%
17	Rochester, NY	73,580	73,550	100,140	1.36	1,460	+15.3%
18	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	72,510	78,580	127,790	1.76	5,100	+13.7%
19	Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY	72,230	73,700	104,040	1.44	1,430	+13.2%
20	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	71,860	75,090	114,400	1.59	9,420	+12.6%
21	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	71,110	80,230	125,080	1.76	15,690	+11.5%
22	Pittsburgh, PA	70,100	75,420	107,870	1.54	2,910	+9.9%
23	Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	65,210	76,440	131,100	2.01	3,120	+2.2%
24	Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN	65,160	70,570	101,800	1.56	3,640	+2.1%
25	Salt Lake City, UT	64,800	67,790	88,310	1.36	3,190	+1.6%
26	Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	63,920	73,670	115,340	1.80	4,510	+0.2%
27	Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO	63,900	71,910	102,770	1.61	5,750	+0.2%
28	Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	63,750	70,620	100,710	1.58	9,270	-0.1%
29	Columbus, OH	63,260	69,140	103,000	1.63	3,060	-0.8%
30	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD	63,200	70,780	102,640	1.62	5,220	-0.9%
31	Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX	62,810	63,760	80,920	1.29	5,260	-1.6%
32	New Orleans-Metairie, LA	62,450	62,920	79,690	1.28	1,510	-2.1%
33	Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC	61,870	59,280	75,410	1.22	5,100	-3.0%
34	Richmond, VA	61,480	60,940	77,490	1.26	2,340	-3.6%
35	Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX	61,300	63,860	85,680	1.40	10,980	-3.9%
36	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	61,250	62,260	82,230	1.34	11,980	-4.0%
37	Raleigh-Cary, NC	60,540	60,290	77,610	1.28	2,810	-5.1%
38	Nashville-Davidson, TN	60,100	63,080	83,670	1.39	2,760	-5.8%
39	Birmingham-Hoover, AL	60,090	59,350	76,290	1.27	1,840	-5.8%
40	Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV	59,700	70,210	119,300	2.00	3,800	-6.4%
41	Oklahoma City, OK	59,150	61,390	83,260	1.41	2,400	-7.3%
42	Jacksonville, FL	58,920	58,230	75,310	1.28	2,380	-7.6%
43	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC	58,690	58,140	76,010	1.30	3,840	-8.0%
44	Memphis, TN-MS-AR	58,690	60,500	82,020	1.40	1,920	-8.0%
45	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA	58,380	60,020	81,580	1.40	5,470	-8.5%
46	San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX	58,180	57,970	78,530	1.35	3,190	-8.8%
47	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL	57,760	57,830	75,010	1.30	5,930	-9.5%
48	Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL	55,380	55,990	72,950	1.32	4,040	-13.2%
49	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	52,000	55,600	66,830	1.29	4,180	-18.5%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, metropolitan area estimates, SOC 47-2152. Ceiling ratio and comparison to national calculated by The Plumbing Brief. National median for comparison: 63,800 dollars.

Sourced figures

1. Highest metro median: Chicago, 103,380 dollars. Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
2. Second and third: Minneapolis 101,630 and Portland 101,010. Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
3. Lowest of the 49: Tampa, 52,000 dollars. Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
4. Top-to-bottom gap: 51,380 dollars. Source: calculated from BLS OEWS.
5. Largest metro workforce: New York, 21,040, ranking ninth on median at 78,610 dollars. Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
6. Second largest: Los Angeles, 15,690 at 71,110 dollars. Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
7. Dallas (11,980 plumbers, 61,250 dollars) and Houston (10,980, 61,300) both pay below the national median. Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
8. Highest 90th percentile: San Francisco, 155,330 dollars. Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
9. Next highest: Seattle 153,500, Portland 147,100, New York 145,480. Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
10. Widest ceiling ratio: Sacramento 2.01 and Las Vegas 2.00. Source: calculated from BLS OEWS.
11. Narrowest ceiling ratio: Minneapolis 1.20 and Chicago 1.23. Source: calculated from BLS OEWS.
12. National median for reference: 63,800 dollars, employment 465,840. Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.

What we calculated

Derived finding 1: the best-paying metros have the flattest ceilings

Formula. Metro 90th percentile divided by metro median, compared against metro median rank.

Finding. The two highest-paying metros have the two narrowest ceilings. Chicago pays a median of 103,380 dollars with a 90th percentile only 1.23 times that, and Minneapolis pays 101,630 at 1.20 times. Sacramento, ranked 23rd on median at 65,210 dollars, has the widest ceiling at 2.01. A plumber in Sacramento has more room above the local median than a plumber in Chicago, while earning substantially less at it.

Inputs. BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan estimates.

Limitations. A narrow ceiling in a high-median market is consistent with a compressed, standardised wage structure, and a wide ceiling with a mixed market containing both low-paid residential work and high-paid industrial work. This page reports the pattern, not its cause, and does not test any explanation for it.

Derived finding 2: workforce size does not predict pay

Formula. Metro employment ranked against metro median pay.

Calculation. The five largest workforces are New York (21,040, plus 23.2 percent versus national), Los Angeles (15,690, plus 11.5), Chicago (12,750, plus 62.0), Dallas (11,980, minus 4.0) and Houston (10,980, minus 3.9).

Finding. Two of the five metros with the most plumbers pay below the national median. The largest market, New York, ranks ninth on pay. Concentration of demand does not translate into higher median wages.

Inputs. BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan estimates.

Limitations. This is an observation about the distribution of employment against pay and does not establish causation. Cost of living is not adjusted for in this table.

Derived finding 3: the regional block pattern

Formula. Compare metro medians grouped by region.

Finding. The top of the table is dominated by the upper Midwest and Pacific Northwest, with Chicago, Minneapolis, Portland, Boston, Seattle, Detroit and Milwaukee all in the top seven. The bottom is dominated by Florida and Texas, with Tampa, Orlando, Miami, San Antonio, Dallas and Houston all below the national median. Every Texas and Florida metro in this table pays below national.

Inputs. BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan estimates.

Limitations. Regional grouping here is descriptive. Cost of living differs substantially between these blocks and is not adjusted for on this page. Our state-level report publishes a cost-of-living adjusted ranking.

How this report was built

Methodology

Source. BLS OEWS metropolitan area estimates for SOC 47-2152, retrieved through the BLS public API on 27 September 2026 for the May 2025 reference period.

Metro selection. 50 of the largest metropolitan statistical areas were queried and 49 returned a published median. Metros where BLS suppressed the estimate are absent rather than estimated.

Calculated columns. Ceiling ratio and comparison against the national median are calculated by this publication.

No cost-of-living adjustment. This page is nominal. Regional price parities are published at state level, not metro level, in the series used by our state report, so a metro adjustment is not applied here.

Last updated. 27 September 2026. Next update on release of the May 2026 OEWS estimates.

Data limitations

• SOC 47-2152 combines plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters. A metro with heavy industrial pipefitting will show a higher median than its residential service market alone would.
• OEWS covers wage and salary workers. Self-employed plumbers are excluded.
• Figures are nominal and not adjusted for cost of living. Chicago and Tampa dollars do not buy the same thing.
• OEWS estimates carry sampling error, and smaller metros have wider error bands. Differences of a few hundred dollars between adjacent metros are not meaningful.
• One of the 50 metros queried did not return a published median and is omitted rather than estimated.
• Metropolitan boundaries are statistical definitions that can span state lines, so a metro figure is not a city figure.
• These are wages, not total compensation. Benefits and pension contributions vary by market and by union density and are not captured.

Source quality ranking

Tier 1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 metropolitan area estimates.

Tier 2. None used.

Tier 3. None used.

Excluded. Job-board and recruiter metro salary estimates, and any metro figure without a stated reference period.

If you quote one number

• A plumber in Chicago earns a median of 103,380 dollars. In Tampa the figure is 52,000.
• New York has more plumbers than any metro in the country and ranks ninth on pay.
• The best-paying metros have the flattest ceilings. Chicago’s top earners make 1.23 times its median; Sacramento’s make 2.01 times.
• San Francisco has the highest 90th percentile in the country at 155,330 dollars while ranking tenth on median.
• Every Texas and Florida metro in the table pays plumbers below the national median.

Summary for reporters

Plumber pay varies by nearly a factor of two between major US metropolitan areas, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025. Chicago leads at a median of 103,380 dollars, 62.0 percent above the national median of 63,800, followed by Minneapolis at 101,630 and Portland at 101,010. Tampa is lowest of the 49 metros analysed at 52,000 dollars. New York has the largest plumber workforce in the country at 21,040 but ranks ninth on median pay at 78,610. Two of the five largest metro workforces, Dallas and Houston, pay below the national median. The data also shows an inverse relationship between pay level and earnings spread: Chicago and Minneapolis, the two highest-paying metros, have the narrowest gaps between median and 90th percentile, at 1.23 and 1.20 times, while Sacramento and Las Vegas have the widest at 2.01 and 2.00.

Angles this supports

1. Plumbers in Chicago earn twice what plumbers in Tampa do
2. New York has the most plumbers in America and ranks ninth on pay
3. The best-paying cities for plumbers offer the least room to grow
4. Every Texas and Florida metro pays plumbers below the national median
5. San Francisco has America’s highest plumber ceiling at 155,330 dollars

Download the data

Every figure in the table above is published as a CSV under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. Attribution: The Plumbing Brief.

All 49 metros with median, mean, 90th percentile and ceiling ratio (CSV)

Questions this answers

Which city pays plumbers the most? Of the 49 metros analysed, Chicago at a median of 103,380 dollars, followed by Minneapolis at 101,630 and Portland at 101,010. Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Which pays the least? Tampa at 52,000 dollars, followed by Orlando at 55,380 and Miami at 57,760.

How much do plumbers make in New York City? A median of 78,610 dollars, 23.2 percent above national, with a 90th percentile of 145,480. New York has the largest plumber workforce in the country at 21,040.

How much do plumbers make in Los Angeles? A median of 71,110 dollars, 11.5 percent above national.

How much do plumbers make in Chicago? A median of 103,380 dollars, the highest of any major US metro and 62.0 percent above the national median.

How much do plumbers make in Houston or Dallas? Houston 61,300 dollars and Dallas 61,250, both slightly below the national median of 63,800, despite being the fourth and fifth largest plumber workforces.

Where can a plumber earn the most at the top of the market? San Francisco has the highest 90th percentile at 155,330 dollars, ahead of Seattle at 153,500 and Portland at 147,100.

Why do high-paying cities have narrow ceilings? This page reports the pattern without explaining it. A compressed spread is consistent with a standardised wage structure, and a wide spread with a market mixing low-paid residential and high-paid industrial work.

Are these figures adjusted for cost of living? No. They are nominal. Our state-level report publishes a cost-of-living adjusted ranking using regional price parities, which are not published at metro level in that series.

Do these numbers include self-employed plumbers? No. OEWS covers wage and salary workers only.

Last reviewed: 2026-09-27.

How to cite this report

The Plumbing Brief, “Plumber Salary by Metro Area: 49 US Metros Ranked on May 2025 Federal Data”, https://theplumbingbrief.com/plumber-salary-by-metro/, accessed [date].