Plumber Salary by State (2026): UA Journeyman Pay Compared Across All 50 States

Plumber salary by state varies meaningfully across the U.S. — the spread reflects state-level cost of living, UA (United Association of Plumbers, Pipefitters, Steamfitters, HVACR Service Techs, and Welders) union density, prevailing-wage law strength, state licensing reciprocity, the regional density of CHIPS Act fab high-purity process plumbing / pipe fitting / data center mechanical / EV plant industrial plumbing, and the local mix of residential / commercial / industrial work. The national median for Plumbers sits at $65,408, but state-by-state pay across the 52 states tracked here ranges widely — from $32,894 in Puerto Rico to $103,321 in Illinois.

This page compares the average plumber salary by state across 1688+ metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas — drawing on the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for SOC 47-2152 (Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters). If you're a journeyman / master plumber evaluating relocation, a recent UA apprenticeship graduate planning your first big job, or a mechanical contractor benchmarking pay across states, the state-level comparison below is the central reference point.

How Plumber Salary by State Is Measured

The BLS reports state-level plumber salary through three numbers (W-2 base; overtime and per-diem may be partial):

• Annual median (50th percentile) — used to rank state-level pay in the table below.
• Annual mean (average) — typically runs 8–15% above median; high-overtime megaproject and union-strong markets drive mean significantly above median.
• Percentile distribution (P10 / P25 / P75 / P90) — P10 reflects apprentices and entry journeymen at residential plumbers; P90 reflects UA pipefitters / steamfitters on megaproject sites with per-diem (CHIPS Act fabs, data centers, EV plants), master plumbers and mechanical contractors with mature businesses, senior industrial pipefitters at oil & gas / chemical / power plants / refineries, UA Local 1 NYC and UA Local 38 SF senior journeymen, and welding-credentialed senior pipefitters (UA Cert pipe welders).

The state-comparison table below applies BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) adjustment so both nominal pay and real purchasing power are visible.

1. State UA Union Density and Prevailing Wage

State UA union density and prevailing-wage law strength drive state-level plumber pay:

• Strong-union / high-prevailing-wage states — Illinois (UA Local 130 Chicago — one of strongest in U.S., UA Local 597 pipefitters Chicago), New York (UA Local 1 NYC plumbers, Local 638 steamfitters NYC), New Jersey (UA Local 9, Local 14, Local 322, Local 322B), Massachusetts (UA Local 12 Boston), California (UA Local 38 SF, Local 78 LA, Local 250 LA pipefitters), Washington (UA Local 32, Local 26), Hawaii (UA Local 675), Minnesota (UA Local 15, Local 539), Wisconsin (UA Local 75, Local 400 — Act 10 effects), Michigan (UA Local 98, Local 671 — RTW status changing), Pennsylvania (UA Local 690 Philadelphia, Local 27 Pittsburgh), Ohio (UA Local 189 Columbus, Local 219 Akron, Local 396 Toledo, Local 577 Cincinnati, Local 162 Cleveland).
• Right-to-work and weak-union states — Texas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Arizona, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kansas. Non-union markets typically pay below UA scale but megaproject work brings strong rates.
• Davis-Bacon prevailing wage — federal projects (CHIPS Act fabs, IRA clean energy, IIJA infrastructure) pay Davis-Bacon prevailing wage including federal projects in right-to-work states.
• UA NIA pension and welfare benefits — UA members benefit from National Pension Fund and IPAL annuity beyond W-2 wages.

2. State Megaproject and Industrial Plumbing Concentration

State megaproject concentration drives state-level pipefitter / steamfitter pay above residential plumber rates:

• CHIPS Act semiconductor fabs — Arizona, Texas, Ohio, New York, Oregon, Idaho, Indiana. Fab process plumbing requires high-purity gas, deionized water, chemical waste systems — UA Cert pipe welders and pipefitters in heavy demand. Fab pipefitter pay frequently $50–$80/hour scale + per-diem.
• Hyperscaler data center construction — Virginia, Texas, Iowa, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, Washington. Data center mechanical systems (cooling, chilled water, immersion / direct liquid cooling for AI) drive heavy pipefitter demand.
• EV / battery megaprojects — Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Texas. Battery plant fluid systems require industrial pipefitting.
• Oil & gas / chemical / refining plumbing — Texas (Houston refining, Permian / Eagle Ford fracking), Louisiana (refining, petrochemical), Oklahoma, North Dakota (Bakken), Wyoming, Alaska. Industrial pipefitter premiums.
• Power plant construction — natural gas combined cycle, nuclear, renewables, transmission. Concentrate at varying states.
• Pharma / biotech megaprojects — Indiana (Eli Lilly), North Carolina (RTP), Massachusetts. High-purity process plumbing.
• State megaproject per-diem — $80–$200/day per-diem on remote megaprojects materially raises effective comp.

3. State Cost of Living and Tax

State cost of living and income tax drive nominal vs real plumber pay:

• State cost of living — Hawaii, Illinois (Chicago), New York, Alaska, Massachusetts, California, Washington, Oregon lead nominal plumber pay rankings.
• State income tax variation — plumbers in Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Nevada, Washington, Wyoming, South Dakota, Alaska, and New Hampshire keep more of every dollar.
• State cost-of-living-adjusted leaders — Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, Arizona, North Carolina, Ohio deliver strong real purchasing power.

4. State Licensing and Specialization

State licensing and specialty trade shape upper-percentile pay:

• Journeyman vs master license — most states distinguish journeyman from master plumber (master required to pull permits and run a contracting business). Hours typically 8,000 journeyman / 12,000 master.
• UPC vs IPC adoption — Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC — most western states) vs International Plumbing Code (IPC — most eastern / midwestern states). State-specific code amendments.
• State licensing reciprocity — UA apprenticeship recognized broadly; specific state license testing varies.
• Plumbing contractor license — separate state license for plumbing contractor business.
• Medical gas certification — ASSE 6010 medical gas installer for hospital piping. Premium pay.
• UA Cert pipe welder — UA Certified Welder for pipe welding (carbon steel, stainless, alloy, exotic). High premium especially on industrial / fab projects.
• Backflow prevention assembly tester certification — additional state-level certification.
• Fire sprinkler installation — NICET I–IV plus state-level sprinkler license. Some states classify under separate trade.

How to Compare Plumber Salary by State Effectively

When comparing the average plumber salary by state, work through this checklist:

• Account for overtime and per-diem on megaprojects — base BLS may understate effective comp on CHIPS Act / data center / EV megaprojects.
• Compare nominal and real (cost-adjusted) pay together — a state with the highest nominal median can have lower real purchasing power if its cost of living is higher.
• Check state income tax — plumbers in no-tax states (TX, FL, TN, NV, WA, WY, SD, AK, NH) keep more of every dollar.
• Factor in UA union density — strong-union states (IL, NY, NJ, CA, MA, WA, HI, MN, WI, MI, PA, OH) deliver pay floors materially above non-union states for comparable work.
• Compare percentile distribution, not just median — UA and megaproject states show wide P75–P90 spreads.
• Verify state licensing reciprocity — California, Texas, Florida, Massachusetts have state-administered exams.
• Track megaproject hiring — CHIPS Act fabs, hyperscaler data centers, EV plants drive aggressive pipefitter recruitment with per-diem.
• Consider specialty path — UA Cert pipe welder, medical gas (ASSE 6010), backflow prevention, fire sprinkler earn premium.

2026 State-Level Plumber Salary Outlook

Plumber pay has grown at a compound annual rate of 2.52% nationally over the past five years — driven by structural skilled-trades shortage, CHIPS Act fab construction (very pipefitter-intensive for process and utility plumbing), hyperscaler data center boom (chilled water and increasingly direct liquid cooling for AI servers), EV megaproject buildout, IRA-driven clean energy and electrification (heat pumps, hot water electrification), IIJA water infrastructure, residential remodel demand, and aging plumber workforce retirement creating pipeline pressure. States with CHIPS Act fabs (Arizona, Texas, Ohio, New York, Oregon, Idaho), data center clusters (Virginia, Texas, Iowa, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, NC, Ohio, Washington), EV megaprojects (Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Texas), and no-tax states are seeing the fastest state-level pay growth through 2026. The BLS projects Plumbers employment growth at 6% through 2033, keeping strong upward pressure on state-level wages especially for pipefitter / steamfitter specialty.

Browse the state-by-state comparison table below to see the $65,408-baseline state ranking, top 10 and bottom 10 states by projected median, regional groupings (Northeast / Midwest / South / West), and direct links to per-state pages for deeper city-level breakdown.