Plumber Salary by State: All 51 US Jurisdictions Ranked on May 2025 Federal Wage Data

What this page is. A ranking of plumber pay across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, built from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, occupation code 47-2152. It reports the May 2025 reference period, released 15 May 2026, which is the most recent available. It also publishes a cost-of-living adjusted ranking using Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities, because the state that pays the highest nominal wage is not the state where that wage goes furthest. Plumbers weighing whether their paycheck stacks up against other fields can see how plumber pay compares with other trades.

One thing to check before citing any other ranking. Most plumber salary rankings currently published with 2026 dates are quoting the May 2024 reference period. The figure that identifies a stale page is a national median of 62,970 dollars, with an hourly median of 30.27 dollars. The current figures are 63,800 dollars and 30.67 dollars.

What the table shows

• The national median annual wage for plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters was 63,800 dollars in May 2025, with a median hourly wage of 30.67 dollars, a mean hourly wage of 34.70 dollars, and total employment of 465,840.
• The District of Columbia had the highest nominal median at 101,020 dollars, followed by Illinois at 99,950 dollars and Oregon at 97,050 dollars.
• Arkansas had the lowest nominal median at 48,660 dollars, a gap of 52,360 dollars against the District of Columbia.
• Adjusting for regional price parity changes the ranking substantially. Illinois moves to first at 99,992 dollars adjusted, and the District of Columbia falls from first to fourth.
• Maryland falls 18 places once adjusted, the largest single move in the table. California falls 14 places and New Hampshire falls 14.
• Oklahoma rises 13 places when adjusted, Alabama and Mississippi rise 12 each, and Iowa rises 11.
• Florida ranks last on the adjusted measure at 51,163 dollars, because it combines the fourth-lowest nominal median with an above-average cost of living.
• Two of the three largest plumber workforces in the country pay below the national median. Texas employs 44,090 plumbers at 6.2 percent below, and Florida employs 29,260 at 17.1 percent below.
• Pennsylvania has the widest earnings ceiling, with a 90th percentile wage 1.97 times its median. The District of Columbia has the narrowest at 1.16 times, so it pays the most at the middle and offers the least room above it.

Sourced figures

1. National median annual wage: 63,800 dollars, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, SOC 47-2152.
2. National mean annual wage: 72,170 dollars, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
3. National median hourly wage: 30.67 dollars, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
4. National employment in the occupation: 465,840, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
5. Highest nominal median: District of Columbia, 101,020 dollars. Source: BLS OEWS state estimates, May 2025.
6. Lowest nominal median: Arkansas, 48,660 dollars. Source: BLS OEWS state estimates, May 2025.
7. Highest adjusted median: Illinois, 99,992 dollars. Source: calculated from BLS OEWS and BEA regional price parities.
8. Lowest adjusted median: Florida, 51,163 dollars. Source: calculated from BLS OEWS and BEA regional price parities.
9. Largest workforce: California, 47,660 plumbers, median 72,830 dollars. Source: BLS OEWS state estimates, May 2025.
10. Second largest workforce: Texas, 44,090 plumbers, median 59,840 dollars, 6.2 percent below the national median. Source: BLS OEWS state estimates, May 2025.
11. Widest earnings ceiling: Pennsylvania, 90th percentile of 134,110 dollars against a median of 68,080 dollars. Source: BLS OEWS state estimates, May 2025.
12. Narrowest earnings ceiling: District of Columbia, 90th percentile of 117,180 dollars against a median of 101,020 dollars. Source: BLS OEWS state estimates, May 2025.
13. Projected employment growth in the occupation: 7 percent, 2025 to 2035. Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook.
14. Projected annual openings: about 42,000 per year. Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook.
15. May 2025 OEWS estimates were released on 15 May 2026. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Every state and DC, ranked twice

Nominal figures are BLS May 2025 estimates. Adjusted figures divide the state median by that state’s regional price parity for all items, published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis for 2024, the most recent year available.

Nominal rank	State	Median	Mean	90th percentile	RPP	Adjusted median	Adjusted rank	Move	Employment
1	District of Columbia	101,020	91,200	117,180	109.9	91,919	4	-3	1,010
2	Illinois	99,950	93,400	126,430	100.0	99,992	1	+1	16,750
3	Oregon	97,050	98,450	147,100	103.4	93,894	3	+0	5,370
4	Minnesota	94,410	86,700	121,050	98.6	95,730	2	+2	10,720
5	Alaska	93,920	90,460	122,660	102.4	91,755	5	+0	1,200
6	Massachusetts	93,880	90,410	135,080	105.8	88,770	6	+0	13,460
7	Wisconsin	81,210	84,720	120,070	94.1	86,306	7	+0	10,210
8	Washington	81,030	88,800	141,860	107.0	75,720	11	-3	12,470
9	Michigan	80,190	77,250	103,430	96.2	83,343	9	+0	14,120
10	Montana	79,960	78,190	100,860	94.6	84,484	8	+2	1,860
11	New Jersey	78,240	92,590	136,710	108.8	71,908	18	-7	8,750
12	Hawaii	78,060	82,810	113,300	110.0	70,995	22	-10	2,500
13	New York	77,490	83,790	130,420	107.9	71,803	19	-6	23,210
14	Connecticut	77,280	75,400	102,990	103.6	74,587	13	+1	5,410
15	Rhode Island	76,470	81,610	110,360	102.3	74,765	12	+3	1,820
16	Indiana	76,320	75,660	102,520	93.3	81,775	10	+6	11,280
17	California	72,830	82,320	131,100	110.7	65,779	31	-14	47,660
18	Pennsylvania	68,080	77,050	134,110	97.6	69,774	23	-5	13,620
19	New Hampshire	66,810	66,230	87,730	104.2	64,139	33	-14	1,950
20	Missouri	66,790	75,010	117,180	90.8	73,543	14	+6	8,310
21	Maryland	65,400	73,510	108,420	105.0	62,310	39	-18	11,420
22	Kansas	65,220	71,410	109,290	90.1	72,412	16	+6	4,590
23	Delaware	64,720	68,110	95,520	99.8	64,845	32	-9	1,590
24	Kentucky	64,160	68,870	94,710	90.2	71,163	21	+3	6,360
25	Maine	64,000	66,570	80,760	97.0	65,945	30	-5	2,710
26	Iowa	63,890	70,030	97,500	87.8	72,799	15	+11	5,730
27	Louisiana	63,680	62,620	79,540	88.2	72,194	17	+10	8,360
28	North Dakota	63,560	66,160	83,560	89.0	71,449	20	+8	1,620
29	Ohio	63,330	69,700	101,410	92.8	68,263	24	+5	16,390
30	Colorado	63,240	69,090	100,240	103.1	61,367	43	-13	10,080
31	Wyoming	62,410	61,890	80,030	92.7	67,331	26	+5	1,140
32	Vermont	62,170	68,980	91,940	98.0	63,466	37	-5	980
33	Arizona	62,070	67,940	100,120	100.7	61,653	41	-8	11,810
34	Utah	61,900	64,210	83,120	98.9	62,611	38	-4	7,030
35	Nevada	61,610	71,510	118,430	100.0	61,623	42	-7	5,370
36	New Mexico	61,440	61,790	87,700	92.2	66,629	27	+9	2,830
37	Nebraska	60,970	65,710	98,030	90.1	67,667	25	+12	4,110
38	Virginia	60,470	60,650	78,050	101.1	59,810	45	-7	13,780
39	Texas	59,840	60,780	81,890	97.1	61,654	40	-1	44,090
40	Alabama	58,670	57,750	76,690	88.8	66,053	28	+12	6,950
41	Tennessee	58,600	60,500	82,020	91.9	63,786	35	+6	9,270
42	Oklahoma	57,970	58,970	82,560	87.8	65,993	29	+13	6,050
43	Georgia	57,200	58,220	80,740	96.3	59,402	46	-3	8,930
44	North Carolina	57,080	56,720	75,850	94.3	60,514	44	+0	14,510
45	West Virginia	56,980	58,780	83,160	89.5	63,667	36	+9	1,830
46	Mississippi	55,480	56,690	75,470	87.0	63,805	34	+12	3,360
47	South Carolina	53,940	55,890	75,780	93.7	57,537	48	-1	5,770
48	Florida	52,910	56,030	73,610	103.4	51,163	51	-3	29,260
49	Idaho	52,380	58,450	82,620	95.5	54,852	50	-1	3,090
50	South Dakota	51,620	55,530	74,480	88.6	58,271	47	+3	1,760
51	Arkansas	48,660	50,640	68,870	86.9	55,972	49	+2	3,370

Sources: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 47-2152. Regional price parities from the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Adjusted figures and ranks calculated by The Plumbing Brief.

What we calculated

Derived finding 1: the cost-of-living adjusted ranking

Formula. State median annual wage divided by that state’s BEA regional price parity for all items, multiplied by 100.

Calculation example. The District of Columbia median of 101,020 dollars divided by an RPP of 109.9, multiplied by 100, gives 91,919 dollars.

Finding. Illinois pays plumbers more in real terms than anywhere else in the United States. The District of Columbia has the highest nominal median but falls to fourth once local prices are accounted for. Florida finishes last on the adjusted measure.

Inputs. BLS OEWS May 2025 state estimates. BEA regional price parities, all items, 2024.

Limitations. The wage data is a May 2025 reference period and the price parity data is for calendar 2024. The two are one year apart, and this page does not adjust for that gap. Regional price parities are statewide averages and do not describe individual metro areas, where costs vary widely within a state.

Derived finding 2: the states that move most

Formula. Nominal rank minus adjusted rank.

Finding. Maryland falls 18 places once adjusted, the largest move in the table, from 21st to 39th. California falls 14, New Hampshire falls 14 and Colorado falls 13. In the other direction Oklahoma rises 13 places, Alabama and Mississippi rise 12 each, and Iowa rises 11, moving from 26th nominal to 15th adjusted.

Inputs. BLS OEWS May 2025. BEA regional price parities 2024.

Limitations. Rank movement is sensitive to small wage differences where states are closely clustered in the middle of the table. Moves of one or two places should not be treated as meaningful.

Derived finding 3: the earnings ceiling ratio

Formula. State 90th percentile annual wage divided by state median annual wage.

Finding. Pennsylvania has the widest ceiling in the country at 1.97, meaning a plumber at the 90th percentile earns almost twice the state median. Nevada follows at 1.92 and California at 1.80. The District of Columbia has the narrowest ceiling at 1.16. It pays the highest median in the country and offers the least room above it, which is the opposite of what a median-only ranking implies.

Inputs. BLS OEWS May 2025 state estimates, median and 90th percentile.

Limitations. A wide ratio reflects the spread of work within a state, including the mix of residential service, commercial pipefitting and industrial steamfitting, which all report under the same occupation code. It is not a measure of individual career progression.

Derived finding 4: workforce size does not track pay

Formula. State employment compared against state median wage relative to the national median.

Finding. The two largest plumber workforces after California pay below the national median. Texas employs 44,090 plumbers at 59,840 dollars, which is 6.2 percent below national, and Florida employs 29,260 at 52,910 dollars, 17.1 percent below. Illinois, ranked second on nominal pay at 99,950 dollars, employs 16,750.

Inputs. BLS OEWS May 2025 state estimates.

Limitations. This is an observation about the distribution of employment against pay. It does not establish a causal relationship, and this page does not offer one.

Why other rankings disagree

Several widely circulated plumber salary rankings carry 2026 dates while reporting the May 2024 reference period. The identifying figures are a national median of 62,970 dollars and an hourly median of 30.27 dollars, alongside a projection of 4 percent growth and about 44,000 annual openings.

The current BLS figures are a median of 63,800 dollars, an hourly median of 30.67 dollars, 7 percent projected growth between 2025 and 2035, and about 42,000 annual openings. Both sets of numbers were accurate when published. Only one set is current.

When comparing this page against another ranking, check three things: the reference period stated, the release date stated, and whether the page distinguishes the occupation of plumber from the wider plumbing and heating industry, which employs roughly three times as many people. Anyone untangling those industry-versus-occupation figures may want our closer look at workforce trends and the shortage ratio.

How this report was built

Methodology

Source selection. Wage and employment figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, retrieved through the BLS public API on 25 September 2026. Price parities come from the Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parity tables.

Occupation definition. SOC 47-2152 covers plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters together. It is not a plumbers-only series, and no federal series separates the three.

Inclusion rules. All 50 states and the District of Columbia returned a median for May 2025 and all 51 are included. No state was estimated or interpolated.

Estimates. Adjusted medians, adjusted ranks, rank movement and ceiling ratios are calculated by this publication from the sources named. Each formula is stated with its finding.

What this page deliberately does not do. It does not publish an employment-weighted national median. Averaging state medians, weighted or otherwise, does not produce a national median, and doing so here would have produced a figure roughly 5,000 dollars above the BLS national median through arithmetic artifact alone.

Last updated. 25 September 2026. Next scheduled update: on release of the May 2026 OEWS estimates, expected May 2027.

Data limitations

• SOC 47-2152 combines plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters. Industrial and commercial work pays more than residential service, so a state median reflects that state’s mix of work as well as its pay rates.
• OEWS covers wage and salary workers. Self-employed plumbers are excluded, which is material in a trade with many sole proprietors.
• Wage data is May 2025 and price parity data is 2024. The one-year gap is not adjusted for.
• Regional price parities are statewide. Costs inside a state vary substantially between metro and rural areas.
• OEWS estimates carry sampling error. BLS publishes relative standard errors alongside the estimates, and small states with few plumbers have wider error bands.
• Rank movements of one or two places are within the noise of closely clustered states and should not be cited as meaningful.
• These are wages, not total compensation. Benefits, pension contributions and overtime practice vary by state and by union status and are not captured here.

Source quality ranking

Tier 1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 47-2152, national and state estimates. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook. US Bureau of Economic Analysis, regional price parities, 2024.

Tier 2. None used.

Tier 3. None used.

Excluded. Job-board salary aggregations, recruiter surveys, and any ranking that does not state its reference period.

If you quote one number

• Plumbers earn a median of 63,800 dollars nationally, but the state range runs from 48,660 dollars in Arkansas to 101,020 dollars in the District of Columbia.
• Adjusted for cost of living, Illinois pays plumbers more than anywhere else in the country and Florida pays the least.
• Maryland drops 18 places once you adjust for what a dollar buys there.
• The District of Columbia pays the highest plumber median in America and has the smallest gap between the median and the top ten percent.
• Texas and Florida employ 73,350 plumbers between them and both pay below the national median.

Summary for reporters

Plumbers earned a median of 63,800 dollars nationally in May 2025, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics released on 15 May 2026. Across states the median ranged from 48,660 dollars in Arkansas to 101,020 dollars in the District of Columbia. Adjusting each state median for Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities reorders the table: Illinois moves to first at 99,992 dollars in adjusted terms, the District of Columbia falls from first to fourth, and Florida finishes last at 51,163 dollars. Maryland falls 18 places once adjusted, the largest move in the ranking, while Oklahoma rises 13. Two of the three largest plumber workforces pay below the national median, with Texas 6.2 percent below and Florida 17.1 percent below. Many plumber salary rankings currently published with 2026 dates report the May 2024 reference period, identifiable by a national median of 62,970 dollars.

Angles this supports

1. Illinois, not Washington DC, is where plumbers earn the most in real terms
2. Maryland drops 18 places when you adjust plumber pay for cost of living
3. Two of America’s three biggest plumber workforces pay below the national median
4. The highest-paying state for plumbers also has the lowest earnings ceiling
5. Most plumber salary rankings online are a full year out of date

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 51 jurisdictions, nominal and cost-of-living adjusted (CSV)

Questions this answers

What state pays plumbers the most? The District of Columbia has the highest nominal median at 101,020 dollars, followed by Illinois at 99,950 dollars and Oregon at 97,050 dollars, per BLS May 2025 data. Adjusted for cost of living, Illinois ranks first.

What state pays plumbers the least? Arkansas has the lowest nominal median at 48,660 dollars. On a cost-of-living adjusted basis, Florida ranks last at 51,163 dollars.

What is the average plumber salary in the United States? The median was 63,800 dollars and the mean was 72,170 dollars in May 2025. The mean is higher because industrial pipefitting and steamfitting report under the same occupation code and pay more than residential service work.

How much do plumbers make per hour? The national median hourly wage was 30.67 dollars in May 2025, per BLS. The mean hourly wage was 34.70 dollars.

How much do plumbers make in California? The California median was 72,830 dollars in May 2025, which is 14.2 percent above the national median. Adjusted for cost of living California falls 14 places to 31st.

How much do plumbers make in Texas? The Texas median was 59,840 dollars in May 2025, which is 6.2 percent below the national median, despite Texas having the second largest plumber workforce in the country at 44,090.

How much do plumbers make in Florida? The Florida median was 52,910 dollars in May 2025, 17.1 percent below the national median, and Florida ranks last of 51 jurisdictions once adjusted for cost of living.

How much do plumbers make in New York? The New York median was 77,490 dollars in May 2025, 21.5 percent above the national median.

Which state gives plumbers the most room to grow their earnings? Pennsylvania, where the 90th percentile of 134,110 dollars is 1.97 times the state median of 68,080 dollars. That is the widest ceiling in the country.

Why do other plumber salary pages show different numbers? Most are reporting the May 2024 reference period while carrying a 2026 date. A stale page typically shows a national median of 62,970 dollars and an hourly median of 30.27 dollars. The current figures are 63,800 dollars and 30.67 dollars.

Last reviewed: 2026-09-25.

How to cite this report

The Plumbing Brief, “Plumber Salary by State: All 51 US Jurisdictions Ranked on May 2025 Federal Wage Data”, https://theplumbingbrief.com/plumber-salary-by-state/, accessed [date].