An Overview of a Plumber’s Salary

Understanding the lay of the land can be beneficial whether you’re just starting in the plumbing field and seeking an entrance apprenticeship, a certified journeyman plumber, or a seasoned plumber.

Are you wondering about what is the average salary of a plumber? Based on the calculations done on both high and low ends of plumber salaries across different states, plumbing jobs are paying an average of $9.47 per hour to $51.60.

This article will hereby explain the different aspects of a plumber’s salary, what skills and factors affect it, and what is the average plumber salary across different states.

Defining the Plumber’s Profession

Plumbers construct and restore pipelines that deliver gas and water to houses and buildings, as well as transport trash away from them.

They also place utilities like dishwashers and washing machines, as well as plumbing fixtures like sinks, bathtubs, and toilets.

Seasoned plumbers instruct and oversee apprentices. They are seen working together with other construction workers.

Job responsibilities of a plumber

To become a skilled plumber, you will need years of training and experience; some jurisdictions also need licensed plumbers.

Job responsibilities of a plumber

Typical plumbing responsibilities and abilities include:

  • Identifying the arrangement of the groundwater resources, drainage, and ventilating networks and reading blueprints and requirements.
  • Discovering and appropriately evaluating issues in types of plumbing equipment and installations.
  • Constructing, maintaining, and servicing bathroom fixtures and networks in residential, governmental, and industrial applications.
  • Identifying and documenting locations in walls and floors for pipe interconnections, circulation holes, and accessories.
  • Employing specialized equipment or machinery to measure, slice, shape, and conduct pipelines solder procedures, close connections, threading fixtures, liquid welding, crimping, and nudge connectors to connect pipes and fittings.
  • Employing water and air pressure transducers and checking for leaks in pipelines.
  • Considering legal rules and safety concerns in any activity performed.
  • Ascertaining that all safety and building laws are followed.

Plumber’s Salary

How much money do plumbers make? The amount of money a plumber makes is determined by various things.

How much money do plumbers make

Factors that influence a plumber’s salary include:

  • Location of employment
  • Plumbing school degree
  • Years of experience
  • Level (apprentice, journeyman, or master plumber)
  • Type of employment
  • Type of work

Apprentice plumbers may earn 30% to 50% lesser average plumber salary when compared to highly trained plumbers when they first start.

The employer pays a salary and spends a significant amount of time and resources on training. The goal is to obtain plumbing training, develop the trade’s skills, progress to the journeyman level, and obtain a plumbing license. 

Once that is accomplished, there would be better job mobility and higher income.

Salary of a Plumber in Each State in the USA

Earnings varies depending on whether you are a seasoned plumber or just commencing out. If you’re curious how much plumbers earn, look no further.

Here are the avarege plumber salaries per state:

State nameAverage salary
Wyoming$51,510
Wisconsin$67,830
West Virginia$57,970
Washington$62,980
Virginia$49,960
Virgin Islands, U.S$47,200
Vermont$52,050
Utah$52,990
Texas$49,280
Tennessee$47,170
South Dakota$41,980
South Carolina$44,310
Rhode Island$51,670
Puerto Rico$19,440
Pennsylvania$55,622
Oregon$73,120
Oklahoma$48,680
Ohio$55,330
North Dakota$54,410
North Carolina$43,750
New York$67,120
New Mexico$42,870
New Jersey$71,370
New Hampshire$55,180
Nevada$50,200
Nebraska$54,810
Montana$59,850
Missouri$62,350
Mississippi$45,340
Minnesota$73,330
Michigan$67,050
Massachusetts$64,300
Maryland$57,180
Maine$51,090
Louisiana$54,440
Kentucky$51,150
Kansas$55,090
Iowa$53,030
Indiana$56,310
Illinois$93,060
Idaho$49,640
Hawaii$65,600
Guam$35,730
Georgia$53,220
Florida$43,550
District of Columbia$73,280
Delaware$59,410
Connecticut$66,840
Colorado$53,400
California$61,520
Arkansas$41,940
Arizona$49,830
Alaska$88,000
Alabama$46,220

Understand that these are median earnings, and your rate may grow as you gain experience. These are only preliminary numbers.

Average Plumber Salary Range

Another approach to figuring out how much a plumber makes is to look at the pay scale. 

The range gives us insight into how broad the plumber pay scale is from the lowest-paid to the best-paid plumbing occupations because the average includes both the highest and lowest statistics.

Plumbing jobs pay between $45 and $200 per hour on average across the United States. This was computed by averaging the low and high end of each state’s salary range.

This spectrum, once again, comprises many positions. A plumber’s pay is determined not just by location but also by certificates and experience.

A seasoned plumber may have the highest rate, while a licensed journeyman would have the middle rate, and an apprentice would have half of that rate, reflecting the lowest end of the range.

Cities in each state with the highest average salary for plumbers 

Each state in the USA often has a wide salary range to add a layer to this study. Jobs in big cities pay better than jobs in small towns and rural areas.

As a result, as a plumber, one might choose not to compare their compensation with the national average or even their state’s average. Rather, examine the median salary of plumbers across various cities.

City, StateAverage hourly rate
Saint Paul, MN$48.08
Wakefield, MA$48.08
Wilmington, DE$46.49
Arlington Heights, IL$45.31
San Jose, CA$42.63
Mesa, AZ$42.30
Silver Spring, MD$41.38
Lenexa, KS$39.44
Cherry Hill, NJ$38.19
Portland, OR$37.79
Honolulu, HI$36.70
Columbia, MO$36.38
Tacoma, WA$36.08
Hartford, CT$35.32
Springdale, AR$35.28
Providence, RI$34.67
Ogden, UT$33.83
Fort Collins, CO$33.40
Ann Arbor, MI$33.20
Atlanta, GA$35.28
Springdale, AR$32.65
Alexandria, VA$31.75
Portsmouth, NH$32.43
Omaha, NE$30.91
New York, NY$30.47
Philadelphia, PA$30.39
Winston-Salem, NC$30.31
Eau Claire, WI$30.21
Cincinnati, OH$29.71
Ann Arbor, MI$33.20
Columbia, SC$28.59
Idaho Falls, ID$27.70
Indianapolis, IN$26.57
Rapid City, SD$26.32
Dallas, TX$26.03
Kalispell, MT$25.74
Biloxi, MS$25.67
Henderson, NV$33.20
Casper, WY$25.25
Fargo, ND$25.12
Hobbs, NM$24.93
Baton Rouge, LA$24.62
Chattanooga, TN$24.00
Tulsa, OK$23.88
Davenport, IA$23.18
Florence, KY$22.74
Fort Myers, FL$21.85
Huntsville, AL$21.08
Morgantown, WV$20.00
Ann Arbor, MI$33.20
Portland, ME$19.61
AlaskaNo data
VermontNo data

How Plumber Salaries Compare with Other Jobs

In the United States, plumbers make almost the same as similar jobs. They make less money than marine technicians and more than architects in general.

CareerAverage income
Building inspector salary$63K
Pipefitter salary$56K
Electrician salary$57K
Crane operator salary$60K
Crane operator salary$60K
Carpenter salary$50K
Brickmason salary$55K
Surveyor salary$66K
Marine electrician salary$70K
Ironworker salary$55K

Skills Affecting Plumber’s Salary

A plumbing job has a specific requirement of comprehensive skills. Efficiently handling their job responsibilities is one, but other additional skills are important for plumbers to earn well in this field. 

These are abilities that people are born with or develop through life experience. They will help you become a successful plumber.

  • Skills in listening

    You can understand clients’ difficulties by paying attention to what they say.

  • Diagnosing and curing 

    You must first discover the reason for a complaint before determining how to perform the necessary fixes.

  • Thinking critically

    When attempting to solve a problem, it is critical to consider all alternative solutions before selecting the best one.

  • Interaction in words

    Customers must understand the required effort and associated expenses. Plumbers should be strong enough to lift heavy equipment and plumbing tools.

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FAQs

Typical plumbing jobs like repairing household pipelines mostly pose no safety concerns. On the other hand, industrial work like building pipelines, which includes heavy lifting and installation, demands that plumbers stay careful.

Probably The average cost of unclogging a toilet in the United States is $218. The cost of unclogging a sink drain is $214. Consider that a year has approximately 261 working days.
An urban plumber who cleans one lavatory and one sewer per day for about 261 days might make well over $100,000 each year.

With the development in construction and building renovations, a shortage of experienced licensed plumbers is likely to provide job opportunities.
Welders with sufficient experience will be in high demand in the sector of bathroom refurbishment. Existing plumbing systems will generate repair and maintenance jobs as well.

Many factors affect the amount a plumber can earn. Everything depends on the type of work you do, your place of work, and the amount of experience you have. You will earn varying amounts.

Streamline Your Plumbing Business With FieldCamp

Although the data mostly reflect national averages, it offers a great deal of helpful information, such as filtering people already familiar with plumbing technology.

As shown, plumbing is a good-income career, with an estimated yearly compensation of around $50,000. But as good as the job is, handling its ins and outs becomes difficult when done manually. 

In that case, a trusted service scheduling software, such as FieldCamp is your ideal solution. The plumbing software helps automate and streamline all of your plumbing work processes, helping to save time and keeping things in an orderly manner.

The software has many features, like

  • Job scheduling and tracking jobs
  • Dispatch workers
  • Timely generation of invoices
  • Making and taking timely payments
  • Comprehensive reporting

Start your to know how FieldCamp features and functionalities help your business to grow.

Author Bio
author

Gaurang Bhatt

Gaurang Bhatt is a techie in himself with an ability to solve problems technically and present solutions in the form of a product. He is one of the pioneers to curate FieldCamp with his 15+ years of knowledge and expertise in providing solutions to home service industries. Gaurang aims to overcome challenges faced by service business owners through software solutions and blogs.

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