Industry & Market Data
Plumber Salary by State
The national median wage for Plumbers, Pipefitters & Steamfitters is about $63,800 a year, but it ranges from $48,660 in Arkansas to $101,020 in District of Columbia. We ranked all 50 states plus D.C. on median pay, cost-of-living-adjusted pay, and employment using BLS data.
$63,800
National median
$72,170
National mean
465,840
Plumbers employed
District of Columbia
Highest-paying state
Key findings
- National median wage for Plumbers, Pipefitters & Steamfitters is about $63,800 (2025 BLS OEWS), mean $72,170.
- District of Columbia pays the most (median $101,020); Arkansas the least ($48,660).
- After cost of living, Illinois stretches a plumber’s paycheck furthest ($99,992 adjusted).
- California employs the most plumbers (~47,660 jobs).
Plumber Salary by State, mapped
Median annual wage by state. Darker means higher pay. Hover a state for its figure.
Plumbers pay by state
All 50 states plus D.C., with median, mean, jobs, and cost-of-living-adjusted pay. Search or sort any column.
| 1 | District of Columbia | $101,020 | $91,200 | 1,010 | $91,919 |
| 2 | Illinois | $99,950 | $93,400 | 16,750 | $99,992 |
| 3 | Oregon | $97,050 | $98,450 | 5,370 | $93,894 |
| 4 | Minnesota | $94,410 | $86,700 | 10,720 | $95,730 |
| 5 | Alaska | $93,920 | $90,460 | 1,200 | $91,755 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $93,880 | $90,410 | 13,460 | $88,770 |
| 7 | Wisconsin | $81,210 | $84,720 | 10,210 | $86,306 |
| 8 | Washington | $81,030 | $88,800 | 12,470 | $75,720 |
| 9 | Michigan | $80,190 | $77,250 | 14,120 | $83,343 |
| 10 | Montana | $79,960 | $78,190 | 1,860 | $84,484 |
| 11 | New Jersey | $78,240 | $92,590 | 8,750 | $71,908 |
| 12 | Hawaii | $78,060 | $82,810 | 2,500 | $70,995 |
| 13 | New York | $77,490 | $83,790 | 23,210 | $71,803 |
| 14 | Connecticut | $77,280 | $75,400 | 5,410 | $74,587 |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $76,470 | $81,610 | 1,820 | $74,765 |
| 16 | Indiana | $76,320 | $75,660 | 11,280 | $81,775 |
| 17 | California | $72,830 | $82,320 | 47,660 | $65,779 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | $68,080 | $77,050 | 13,620 | $69,774 |
| 19 | New Hampshire | $66,810 | $66,230 | 1,950 | $64,139 |
| 20 | Missouri | $66,790 | $75,010 | 8,310 | $73,543 |
| 21 | Maryland | $65,400 | $73,510 | 11,420 | $62,310 |
| 22 | Kansas | $65,220 | $71,410 | 4,590 | $72,412 |
| 23 | Delaware | $64,720 | $68,110 | 1,590 | $64,845 |
| 24 | Kentucky | $64,160 | $68,870 | 6,360 | $71,163 |
| 25 | Maine | $64,000 | $66,570 | 2,710 | $65,945 |
| 26 | Iowa | $63,890 | $70,030 | 5,730 | $72,799 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $63,680 | $62,620 | 8,360 | $72,194 |
| 28 | North Dakota | $63,560 | $66,160 | 1,620 | $71,449 |
| 29 | Ohio | $63,330 | $69,700 | 16,390 | $68,263 |
| 30 | Colorado | $63,240 | $69,090 | 10,080 | $61,367 |
| 31 | Wyoming | $62,410 | $61,890 | 1,140 | $67,331 |
| 32 | Vermont | $62,170 | $68,980 | 980 | $63,466 |
| 33 | Arizona | $62,070 | $67,940 | 11,810 | $61,653 |
| 34 | Utah | $61,900 | $64,210 | 7,030 | $62,611 |
| 35 | Nevada | $61,610 | $71,510 | 5,370 | $61,623 |
| 36 | New Mexico | $61,440 | $61,790 | 2,830 | $66,629 |
| 37 | Nebraska | $60,970 | $65,710 | 4,110 | $67,667 |
| 38 | Virginia | $60,470 | $60,650 | 13,780 | $59,810 |
| 39 | Texas | $59,840 | $60,780 | 44,090 | $61,654 |
| 40 | Alabama | $58,670 | $57,750 | 6,950 | $66,053 |
| 41 | Tennessee | $58,600 | $60,500 | 9,270 | $63,786 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $57,970 | $58,970 | 6,050 | $65,993 |
| 43 | Georgia | $57,200 | $58,220 | 8,930 | $59,402 |
| 44 | North Carolina | $57,080 | $56,720 | 14,510 | $60,514 |
| 45 | West Virginia | $56,980 | $58,780 | 1,830 | $63,667 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $55,480 | $56,690 | 3,360 | $63,805 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $53,940 | $55,890 | 5,770 | $57,537 |
| 48 | Florida | $52,910 | $56,030 | 29,260 | $51,163 |
| 49 | Idaho | $52,380 | $58,450 | 3,090 | $54,852 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $51,620 | $55,530 | 1,760 | $58,271 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $48,660 | $50,640 | 3,370 | $55,972 |
Median wage
$101,020
Rank #1 of 51
Mean wage
$91,200
Rank #4 of 51
Pay adjusted for cost of living
$91,919
Rank #4 of 51
Jobs in the state
1,010
Rank #50 of 51
Top 15 states by median wage
Where a paycheck goes furthest (cost of living adjusted)
Median wage divided by each state’s cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parities). High-cost states fall; affordable states rise.
Where the most plumbers work
What this means
These are wages for plumbers as employees. For owners, they are also a hiring benchmark: in high-pay states you compete harder for technicians, so retention and steady, well-routed work matter as much as the rate you offer.
Pay tells you what a market values the work at. Pair it with where demand is growing and how the trade is projected to expand to decide where the opportunity is.
Methodology
Wages are the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) annual median and mean wage for Plumbers, Pipefitters & Steamfitters (SOC 47-2152) by state. Employment is the OEWS estimate of jobs in that occupation. Cost-of-living-adjusted pay divides the median by each state's BEA Regional Price Parity (index, US=100). A handful of states may be suppressed by BLS for confidentiality and show n/a. Covers the 50 states plus D.C.
Median vs. mean: the median is the midpoint wage (half earn more, half less) and is the better “typical pay” figure; the mean is pulled up by top earners. Cost of living: adjusted pay = median / (state RPP / 100), where the U.S. average is 100.
Source
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), with cost-of-living adjustment from BEA Regional Price Parities.
Programs: BLS OEWS, BEA Regional Price Parities.
Frequently asked questions
How much do plumbers make?+
The national median wage for Plumbers, Pipefitters & Steamfitters is about $63,800 a year (BLS OEWS), with a mean of $72,170. By state it ranges from about $48,660 in Arkansas to $101,020 in District of Columbia.
Which state pays plumbers the most?+
District of Columbia has the highest median wage for plumbers at $101,020, followed by Illinois ($99,950) and Oregon ($97,050).
Where do plumbers earn the most after cost of living?+
Adjusting for cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parities), Illinois comes out on top at $99,992 of real purchasing power, then Minnesota and Oregon. High-pay, high-cost states fall once cost of living is factored in.
Which states have the most plumbers?+
California employs the most plumbers (about 47,660 jobs), followed by Texas and Florida.
Where does this data come from?+
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for wages and employment, plus BEA Regional Price Parities for the cost-of-living adjustment. See the methodology below.
Cite this study
Free to reference with a link back. Please credit Smarfle as the source.
Ihor Lavrenenko (2026). Plumber Salary by State. Smarfle. https://www.smarfle.com/small-business-statistics/plumber-salary-by-state
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