Two plumbers, same license tier, same code book, same years on the job. One clears nearly double the other. The only variable is the state line. All figures here are median annual wages from BLS OEWS, May 2024 — the most recent state-level release as of this writing.
The Spread Is the Story
| Marker | Median Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Highest states — New Jersey | ~$89,200 |
| Also top-5 — New York | ~$88,600 |
| Also top-5 — Illinois | ~$87,900 |
| U.S. median, all plumbers | $62,970 |
| Lowest states — Arkansas region | ~$50,000 |
That's roughly a $37,000 gap between top and bottom — doing the same licensed work, under the same national code families.
Why New Jersey, New York, and Illinois Lead
The BLS occupational code covers "plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters" as one group. Where industrial pipefitter and steamfitter employment concentrates — New Jersey, Illinois, Washington among them — the state median gets pulled higher than a plumbing-only figure would suggest, since pipefitting and steamfitting in heavy industrial and commercial settings tends to out-earn general residential plumbing work. Add strong union density and high construction volume in all three states, and the wage floor rises structurally.
Within any high-wage state, specific metros — New York City, Chicago — pay meaningfully above even the state median. The state figure is a floor for the conversation, not the whole answer.
What's Moving the Number Right Now
Two structural factors keep pressure on plumbing wages upward across the board: the average age of a working plumber in the U.S. is approximately 45, meaning a substantial share of the current workforce is within 10–15 years of retirement; and union contracts in major markets have recently seen wage increases in the 4–7% range per cycle in some reported agreements — meaning published medians tend to understate where the trade is heading, not just where it stands today.
A 2026 Update Worth Watching
The newest OEWS release (May 2025 data, published May 2026) shows plumbers posting a mean annual wage of roughly $72,170 — edging past electricians on that specific measure for the first time in recent releases. Important distinction: that's a mean figure from a newer dataset, not directly comparable to the median $62,970 figure used throughout this article and the rest of this network. Both are real BLS numbers; they're just not the same statistic. The direction, though, is consistent either way — plumbing wages are climbing, driven by aging-workforce retirements and sustained demand.
Before You Move for the Number
Weigh cost of living (a New Jersey median doesn't spend like an Arkansas one), confirm your license transfers before committing (state licensing guide), and remember BLS counts employees only — self-employed master plumbers and contractors, often the trade's top earners, aren't in this data at all.