Salary & Licensing · Updated May 2026

Plumber salary by state

Name: U.S. Plumber Wages by State (median and 10th–90th percentile)
Creator: JobStack
License: https://www.usa.gov/government-works

What plumbers earn in every state — median pay and the real 10th-to-90th percentile range — plus licensing tiers, reciprocity (or the lack of it), the taxes you may owe on your work, and the gotchas that trip people up.

Key facts

National median wage: $63,800 (mean $72,170); the range runs from under $44,150 (10th) to over $108,420 (90th) — BLS, May 2025.
Highest-paying: D.C., Illinois, Oregon, Minnesota, and Alaska (medians ~$94,000–$101,000). Lowest: Arkansas, South Dakota, and Idaho (~$49,000–$52,000).
Plumbing is one of the most consistently licensed trades (journeyman + master), but reciprocity is limited — many states offer none.
Taxes vary: four states tax services by default, and many tax repairs but not real-property improvements.

National pay range

A single figure hides a wide spread. Nationally, plumber pay ranges like this (BLS, May 2025):

Percentile	Annual wage
Bottom 10%	$44,150
25th percentile	$50,190
Median (50th)	$63,800
75th percentile	$85,110
Top 10%	$108,420

Mean (average) wage: $72,170. Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025 (national).

Plumber salary by state

Median annual wage with the actual 10th–90th percentile range, highest to lowest. National median: $63,800.

Rank	State	Median	10th–90th range
1	District of Columbia	$101,020	$52,310 – $117,180
2	Illinois	$99,950	$50,250 – $126,430
3	Oregon	$97,050	$58,230 – $147,100
4	Minnesota	$94,410	$48,720 – $121,050
5	Alaska	$93,920	$53,730 – $122,660
6	Massachusetts	$93,880	$52,010 – $135,080
7	Wisconsin	$81,210	$50,020 – $120,070
8	Washington	$81,030	$49,490 – $141,860
9	Michigan	$80,190	$46,560 – $103,430
10	Montana	$79,960	$48,250 – $100,860
11	New Jersey	$78,240	$48,720 – $136,710
12	Hawaii	$78,060	$47,750 – $113,300
13	New York	$77,490	$46,130 – $130,420
14	Connecticut	$77,280	$45,670 – $102,990
15	Rhode Island	$76,470	$49,680 – $110,360
16	Indiana	$76,320	$46,890 – $102,520
17	California	$72,830	$47,350 – $131,100
18	Pennsylvania	$68,080	$46,770 – $134,110
19	New Hampshire	$66,810	$44,850 – $87,730
20	Missouri	$66,790	$44,780 – $117,180
21	Maryland	$65,400	$45,630 – $108,420
22	Kansas	$65,220	$39,130 – $109,290
23	Delaware	$64,720	$40,990 – $95,520
24	Kentucky	$64,160	$44,860 – $94,710
25	Maine	$64,000	$48,120 – $80,760
26	Iowa	$63,890	$45,510 – $97,500
27	Louisiana	$63,680	$38,120 – $79,540
28	North Dakota	$63,560	$45,520 – $83,560
29	Ohio	$63,330	$45,470 – $101,410
30	Colorado	$63,240	$47,770 – $100,240
31	Wyoming	$62,410	$43,770 – $80,030
32	Vermont	$62,170	$48,800 – $91,940
33	Arizona	$62,070	$45,640 – $100,120
34	Utah	$61,900	$43,860 – $83,120
35	Nevada	$61,610	$42,210 – $118,430
36	New Mexico	$61,440	$36,160 – $87,700
37	Nebraska	$60,970	$42,830 – $98,030
38	Virginia	$60,470	$43,970 – $78,050
39	Texas	$59,840	$38,270 – $81,890
40	Alabama	$58,670	$37,720 – $76,690
41	Tennessee	$58,600	$38,520 – $82,020
42	Oklahoma	$57,970	$37,990 – $82,560
43	Georgia	$57,200	$37,680 – $80,740
44	North Carolina	$57,080	$38,860 – $75,850
45	West Virginia	$56,980	$36,010 – $83,160
46	Mississippi	$55,480	$35,830 – $75,470
47	South Carolina	$53,940	$37,660 – $75,780
48	Florida	$52,910	$38,940 – $73,610
49	Idaho	$52,380	$39,430 – $82,620
50	South Dakota	$51,620	$39,230 – $74,480
51	Arkansas	$48,660	$33,410 – $68,870

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025 (SOC 47-2152, plumbers/pipefitters/steamfitters), extracted via the BLS public API. Median and 10th/90th-percentile wages are actual BLS values per state, not cost-of-living adjusted; self-employed plumbers aren't included.

Licensing requirements by state

Plumbing is one of the most consistently regulated trades — most states license at journeyman and master levels. A journeyman license typically requires 4,000–8,000 hours of documented experience (about 2–4 years) plus a proctored exam on the plumbing code (IPC, UPC, or a state code); a master license adds 2,000–4,000 more hours and a management/design exam, a surety bond, and insurance. A few states (e.g., New York) license at the local level.

Reciprocity is limited — far more so than people expect. Many states offer no plumbing reciprocity at all, including:

Connecticut · Hawaii · Illinois · Indiana · Kansas · Michigan · Missouri · New Jersey · New York · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · Wisconsin · Georgia

A handful have narrow agreements — for example Arkansas–Texas for journeyman licenses, and California recognizing Arizona, Louisiana, and Nevada contractor licenses held 5+ years. Always confirm with the destination state's board before counting on a transfer.

Do you charge sales tax on plumbing work?

Whether your labor is taxable depends on the state and the job:

Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, and West Virginia tax services by default — labor is generally taxable.
New York taxes repair, maintenance, and installation work (labor and materials).
Texas exempts labor on residential real-property repair/remodel, but taxes commercial work in full.
Many states tax repairs of tangible property but not real-property improvements (where the contractor pays tax on materials instead).

General information, not tax advice. Confirm with your state revenue department.

Other gotchas

A contractor/business license is often separate from your plumbing license.
Many states require medical-gas or backflow certifications for specific work.
A surety bond and liability insurance are usually required to pull permits.
Because reciprocity is rare, moving states often means re-testing — plan for it.

Salary vs. what you can charge

These are employee wages — BLS doesn't survey the self-employed. If you run your own shop, your take-home depends on what you charge and how many hours you bill. Work out the rate you need with the free hourly rate calculator.

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Plumber salary & licensing FAQ

How much do plumbers make?

The national median wage for plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters is $63,800 a year (mean $72,170), per BLS May 2025 data. The lowest 10% earn under $44,150 and the top 10% earn over $108,420. State medians range from about $49,000 to over $101,000.

Which states pay plumbers the most?

By median wage, the highest-paying are the District of Columbia (~$101,020), Illinois (~$99,950), Oregon (~$97,050), Minnesota (~$94,410), and Alaska (~$93,920). High-wage states often have strong union presence and a high cost of living.

Which states pay plumbers the least?

The lowest median wages are in Arkansas (~$48,660), South Dakota (~$51,620), Idaho (~$52,380), Florida (~$52,910), and South Carolina (~$53,940).

Do you need a license to be a plumber?

In most states, yes. Plumbing is among the most consistently licensed trades, typically at journeyman and master levels — journeyman usually needs 4,000–8,000 hours of experience plus an exam on the plumbing code, and master adds more hours and a management/design exam. A few states license at the local level instead.

Can I transfer my plumbing license to another state?

Often not. Plumbing reciprocity is limited — many states offer none at all (including Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and Georgia). A few have agreements, such as Arkansas–Texas (journeyman) and California recognizing Arizona, Louisiana, and Nevada. Confirm with the destination board.

Do plumbers charge sales tax on their work?

It depends on the state and job. Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, and West Virginia tax services by default; New York taxes repair, maintenance, and installation; many states tax repairs but exempt real-property improvements. This isn't tax advice — confirm with your state revenue department.

Methodology & sources

All wage figures — national and per-state median, 10th, and 90th percentiles — are from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program, May 2025, for SOC 47-2152, extracted via the BLS public API. Figures aren't cost-of-living adjusted, and self-employed plumbers are excluded. Licensing and reciprocity details are compiled from state boards and industry guides; tax treatment from state revenue departments. Verify with the relevant state board and revenue department. Not legal or tax advice.

More: electrician salary by state, HVAC salary by state, and JobStack by trade. Free to cite with attribution to JobStack.