The Essential Plumber Salary Guide for 2023

December 21, 2022 3 min. read

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Plumber Salary in the United States

You’ve come to the right place

If you’re looking to hire a plumber to join your team, you probably have some questions about what to pay them. To help you, we’ve put together the essential plumber salary guide with up-to-date, crowdsourced data courtesy of Payscale. Below, you will find plumber salary information based on national averages, years of experience, job title, and geographic location.

How much do plumbers make?

The money a plumber earns varies by location and experience level. Here’s the breakdown based on experience:

The average across the United States is $54,605
The average hourly rate is $22.64 / hour
Apprentice plumbers earn $36,526 per year on average
Journeyman plumbers earn $56,054 per year on average

Plumbers earn $54,605 per year on average
A plumber’s hourly rate is $22.64 on average
Apprentice plumbers earn $36,526 per year on average
Journeyman plumbers earn $56,054 per year on average

State-by-state average plumber salaries

Where your plumber works will affect their average income. For example, you might be asking yourself, “How much do plumbers make in California compared to plumbers in Texas?” To illustrate, Plumbers working in California earn $62,681 on average, whereas the average plumber salary in Texas is $50,917 and $47,294 in Florida.

Average Salary by State (USD)

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$60,000-$64,999
$55,000-$59,999
$50,000-$54,999
$45,000-$49,999
$40,000-$44,999

State	Average Salary (USD)
Alabama	$45,301
Alaska	$62,399
Arizona	$50,508
Arkansas	$44,784
California	$62,681
Colorado	$54,048
Connecticut	$57,983
Delaware	$52,023
District Of Columbia	$59,559
Florida	$47,294
Georgia	$47,916
Hawaii	$58,050
Idaho	$48,905
Illinois	$52,875
Indiana	$50,290
Iowa	$47,230
Kansas	$46,752
Kentucky	$44,592
Louisiana	$48,900
Maine	$48,581
Maryland	$53,813
Massachusetts	$58,719
Michigan	$49,052
Minnesota	$52,070
Mississippi	$42,906
Missouri	$48,567
Montana	$48,022
Nebraska	$47,332
Nevada	$55,610
New Hampshire	$51,948
New Jersey	$54,998
New Mexico	$50,254
New York	$56,986
North Carolina	$46,931
North Dakota	$51,136
Ohio	$47,305
Oklahoma	$47,475
Oregon	$54,979
Pennsylvania	$51,523
Rhode Island	$52,563
South Carolina	$45,163
South Dakota	$45,991
Tennessee	$45,413
Texas	$50,917
Utah	$49,537
Vermont	$49,902
Virginia	$50,192
Washington	$59,490
West Virginia	$43,880
Wisconsin	$48,360
Wyoming	$51,835

Plumber salaries by years of experience

Plumbers’ salaries increase as they earn experience. For example, a plumber’s starting salary is $40,023 on average, whereas plumbers with 19+ years of experience earn $66,764 on average. Here are national averages based on their levels of experience.

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National Average	<1 year	1-2 yrs	3-5 yrs	6-10 yrs	11+ yrs
Alabama	$33,202	$41,301	$46,236	$50,374	$55,392
Alaska	$45,721	$56,877	$63,679	$69,388	$76,328
Arizona	$37,052	$46,078	$51,569	$56,160	$61,681
Arkansas	$32,843	$40,847	$45,719	$49,797	$54,716
California	$45,920	$57,128	$63,963	$69,703	$76,691
Colorado	$39,649	$49,308	$55,184	$60,095	$66,001
Connecticut	$42,523	$52,886	$59,194	$64,472	$70,838
Delaware	$38,154	$47,452	$53,111	$57,845	$63,552
District Of Columbia	$43,661	$54,308	$60,793	$66,227	$72,805
Florida	$34,680	$43,133	$48,280	$52,588	$57,789
Georgia	$35,133	$43,697	$48,913	$53,280	$58,558
Hawaii	$42,506	$52,887	$59,226	$64,556	$71,074
Idaho	$35,868	$44,608	$49,928	$54,378	$59,744
Illinois	$38,772	$48,223	$53,977	$58,794	$64,610
Indiana	$36,848	$45,839	$51,322	$55,924	$61,518
Iowa	$34,662	$43,101	$48,231	$52,512	$57,643
Kansas	$34,295	$42,650	$47,734	$51,984	$57,099
Kentucky	$32,706	$40,676	$45,526	$49,582	$54,469
Louisiana	$35,818	$44,562	$49,897	$54,379	$59,842
Maine	$35,648	$44,328	$49,607	$54,015	$59,306
Maryland	$39,461	$49,079	$54,935	$59,837	$65,754
Massachusetts	$43,070	$53,564	$59,950	$65,290	$71,720
Michigan	$35,974	$44,741	$50,077	$54,542	$59,925
Minnesota	$38,209	$47,513	$53,171	$57,894	$63,562
Mississippi	$31,463	$39,131	$43,801	$47,709	$52,428
Missouri	$35,629	$44,308	$49,588	$54,001	$59,309
Montana	$35,226	$43,808	$49,030	$53,396	$58,652
Nebraska	$34,733	$43,190	$48,333	$52,627	$57,779
Nevada	$40,762	$50,703	$56,761	$61,837	$67,988
New Hampshire	$38,132	$47,413	$53,053	$57,758	$63,386
New Jersey	$40,309	$50,141	$56,133	$61,157	$67,249
New Mexico	$36,835	$45,818	$51,292	$55,881	$61,442
New York	$41,706	$51,899	$58,128	$63,376	$69,822
North Carolina	$34,424	$42,811	$47,915	$52,183	$57,324
North Dakota	$37,487	$46,628	$52,197	$56,862	$62,508
Ohio	$34,698	$43,152	$48,296	$52,598	$57,780
Oklahoma	$34,810	$43,296	$48,463	$52,790	$58,019
Oregon	$40,334	$50,159	$56,135	$61,130	$67,136
Pennsylvania	$37,780	$46,989	$52,596	$57,290	$62,959
Rhode Island	$38,565	$47,958	$53,671	$58,444	$64,178
South Carolina	$33,119	$41,191	$46,105	$50,218	$55,180
South Dakota	$33,748	$41,966	$46,963	$51,135	$56,141
Tennessee	$33,310	$41,426	$46,364	$50,494	$55,468
Texas	$37,314	$46,416	$51,966	$56,620	$62,271
United States	$40,023	$49,784	$55,733	$60,719	$66,764
Utah	$36,337	$45,190	$50,576	$55,081	$60,503
Vermont	$36,628	$45,544	$50,962	$55,483	$60,892
Virginia	$36,792	$45,764	$51,231	$55,812	$61,363
Washington	$43,629	$54,262	$60,734	$66,148	$72,678
West Virginia	$32,160	$40,004	$44,785	$48,795	$53,658
Wisconsin	$35,490	$44,131	$49,384	$53,770	$59,026
Wyoming	$37,996	$47,262	$52,908	$57,640	$63,372

Salaries for licensed and certified plumbers

If you’re wondering what the average licensed plumber salary is, keep in mind that plumbers are highly regulated in most of the U.S., so a license and certification are likely required to work in the field. Plumbers will work as apprentices first on their way to becoming journeymen, then master plumbers (here’s a guide to certification in the U.S.). Their salaries will increase as they reach each stage.