Water finds every mistake. You don't make any.
Nothing in a building works without plumbing, and nothing gets fixed without a plumber who actually shows up. This guide breaks down real pay by experience level and what actually moves the number.
Plumbing
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks this trade under "plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters" — that category posted a median annual wage of $62,970 as of May 2024, the most recent OEWS data available. The BLS also projects employment growth of 4% from 2024 to 2034 — on pace with the average, with roughly 44,000 openings projected each year.
Entry level ($17–23/hr) is where most people start in this trade — typically through a formal apprenticeship, trade school program, or on-the-job training under a journeyman.
Journeyman ($30–44/hr) is where independent, unsupervised work authority kicks in — the point where most of the trade's workforce sits.
Master / top end ($46–62+/hr) covers senior specialists and crew leads — the people called in when the job is too complex or too urgent for anyone else.
Apprentice to journeyman is the biggest single jump — journeymen can pull permits and work independently.
Commercial, industrial, and gas-line plumbing consistently pay 20–40% above general residential rates.
Union journeymen in major metros regularly earn 25–40% more in total compensation once pension and annuity contributions are counted.
A master license opens the door to running your own shop — the ceiling on income disappears entirely at that point.
“Every call is a different building, a different failure, and a different fix. No two days repeat.”
— A day in the life, Plumbing
Two-way street. Workers get matched to real openings. Employers get first look at qualified plumbing talent before we go public with the board.
Jobs In Plumbing is one of 13 trade-specific sites in the Careers In Trades network.