---
title: "Plumber"
description: "Assemble, install, alter, and repair pipelines or pipe systems that carry water, steam, air, or other liquids or gases. May install heating and cooling…"
canonical: "https://nuecareer.com/careers/plumber"
last-updated: "2026-08-23T15:56:39.581Z"
---

# Plumber

**Category:** Construction and Extraction · **SOC code:** 47-2152 · **O\*NET-SOC code:** 47-2152.00

Assemble, install, alter, and repair pipelines or pipe systems that carry water, steam, air, or other liquids or gases. May install heating and cooling equipment and mechanical control systems. Includes sprinkler fitters.

Also advertised as: Drain Technician; Fire Sprinkler Service Technician; Pipe Welder; Pipefitter; Plumber; Plumbing Installer; Residential Plumber; Service Plumber.

## At a glance

- **Median annual wage:** $63,800 (BLS OEWS, May 2025)
- **Median hourly wage:** $30.67/hr
- **Wage range (10th–90th percentile):** $44,150 to $108,420, with the middle half between $50,190 and $85,110
- **Total US employment:** 465,840
- **Typical entry education:** High school
- **Preparation required:** Some preparation — O\*NET rates this "Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed"
- **Projected growth:** +4.5% over 2024–2034 (BLS EP, 2024–2034)
- **Annual job openings:** 44,000 openings a year
- **AI-resilience score:** 64/100 — a NueCareer heuristic over O\*NET work activities and context, not a BLS or O\*NET figure

## Pay

National wage distribution, BLS OEWS, May 2025, across 465,840 US jobs.

| Percentile | Annual wage |
| --- | --- |
| 10th | $44,150 |
| 25th | $50,190 |
| 50th (median) | $63,800 |
| 75th | $85,110 |
| 90th | $108,420 |
| Mean (average) | $72,170 |

### Pay by state

The 15 highest-paying states, by median annual wage. The cost-of-living-adjusted column divides the state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, so the columns answer different questions: the first is what the job pays there, the second is what that pay buys there.

| State | Median annual wage | Cost-of-living adjusted | Employment |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| DC | $101,020 | $91,919 | 1,010 |
| IL | $99,950 | $99,992 | 16,750 |
| OR | $97,050 | $93,894 | 5,370 |
| MN | $94,410 | $95,730 | 10,720 |
| AK | $93,920 | $91,755 | 1,200 |
| MA | $93,880 | $88,770 | 13,460 |
| WI | $81,210 | $86,306 | 10,210 |
| WA | $81,030 | $75,720 | 12,470 |
| MI | $80,190 | $83,343 | 14,120 |
| MT | $79,960 | $84,484 | 1,860 |
| NJ | $78,240 | $71,908 | 8,750 |
| HI | $78,060 | $70,995 | 2,500 |
| NY | $77,490 | $71,803 | 23,210 |
| CT | $77,280 | $74,587 | 5,410 |
| RI | $76,470 | $74,765 | 1,820 |

39 more states with published wage data are omitted here. The full table for all 54 states is at https://nuecareer.com/careers/plumber/salary-by-state, or as JSON at https://nuecareer.com/api/v1/careers/plumber.

## Outlook

BLS projects employment to move from 504,500 in the 2024–2034 base year to 527,200 by the end of the cycle — a gain of 22,700 jobs, or +4.5%. Faster than average: 4.5% against 3.1% projected for all occupations over the same cycle. About 44,000 openings a year are expected on average, counting openings from growth as well as from workers leaving the occupation permanently. Source: BLS EP, 2024–2034.

## How to get in

- **Typical entry education:** High school diploma or equivalent (BLS Employment Projections).
- **Preparation level:** Some preparation — O\*NET's preparation band for this occupation is "Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed".
- **Related work experience typically required:** None.
- **Typical on-the-job training:** Apprenticeship.

### Education people in this job actually hold

O\*NET surveys incumbents, so this distribution describes who is in the job today and can differ from the BLS entry requirement above.

| Education level | Share of workers |
| --- | --- |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 43.3% |
| High School Diploma | 34.8% |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 9.3% |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 7.9% |
| Some College Courses | 4.6% |

## What the work involves

- Assemble pipe sections, tubing, or fittings, using couplings, clamps, screws, bolts, cement, plastic solvent, caulking, or soldering, brazing, or welding equipment.
- Install pipe assemblies, fittings, valves, appliances such as dishwashers or water heaters, or fixtures such as sinks or toilets, using hand or power tools.
- Locate and mark the position of pipe installations, connections, passage holes, or fixtures in structures, using measuring instruments such as rulers or levels.
- Fill pipes or plumbing fixtures with water or air and observe pressure gauges to detect and locate leaks.
- Review blueprints, building codes, or specifications to determine work details or procedures.
- Cut, thread, or hammer pipes to specifications, using tools such as saws, cutting torches, pipe threaders, or pipe benders.
- Cut openings in structures to accommodate pipes or pipe fittings, using hand or power tools.
- Inspect structures to assess material or equipment needs, to establish the sequence of pipe installations, or to plan installation around obstructions, such as electrical wiring.

## Skills and knowledge

### Essential skills

- Critical Thinking — importance 3.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Monitoring — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Speaking — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Reading Comprehension — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Active Listening — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Writing — importance 2.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Mathematics — importance 2.6 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Active Learning — importance 2.6 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Transferable skills

These are the skills that carry into other occupations, and they drive the related-occupation and career-change rankings on this site.

- Troubleshooting — importance 3.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Repairing — importance 3.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Judgment and Decision Making — importance 3.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Coordination — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Complex Problem Solving — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Operations Monitoring — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Operation and Control — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Time Management — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Knowledge areas

- Building and Construction — importance 4.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Mechanical — importance 4.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Design — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Mathematics — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Customer and Personal Service — importance 3.6 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Administration and Management — importance 3.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Abilities

- Problem Sensitivity — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Finger Dexterity — importance 3.6 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Near Vision — importance 3.6 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Deductive Reasoning — importance 3.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Manual Dexterity — importance 3.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Inductive Reasoning — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

## Who it suits

O\*NET rates every occupation on the six Holland (RIASEC) interest areas, on a 1–7 scale. This occupation's strongest areas are Realistic (R), Conventional (C).

| Interest area | Score (1–7) |
| --- | --- |
| R — Realistic | 7.00 |
| C — Conventional | 3.72 |
| I — Investigative | 2.20 |
| S — Social | 1.16 |
| A — Artistic | 1.00 |
| E — Enterprising | 1.00 |

### Personality fit

These scores are **derived by NueCareer**, not published by any government agency: they are cosine similarities between a personality type's trait profile and this occupation's O\*NET interest and work-style ratings, expressed 0–100. Treat them as a starting point for exploration, not as evidence that a type belongs in a job.

| Type | Fit score (0–100) |
| --- | --- |
| ISTJ | 87.7 |
| ISTP | 77.5 |
| ISFJ | 73.0 |
| ESTJ | 70.9 |
| INTJ | 65.8 |

Best-fitting types: ISTJ.

## Related occupations

O\*NET's primary related occupations, in its own ranked order.

- [Helpers--Pipelayer, Plumber, Pipefitter, and Steamfitter](https://nuecareer.com/careers/helpers-pipelayer-plumber-pipefitter-and-steamfitter) — median $42,360
- [Boilermaker](https://nuecareer.com/careers/boilermaker) — median $76,410
- [Pipelayer](https://nuecareer.com/careers/pipelayer) — median $49,000
- [Maintenance and Repair Worker, General](https://nuecareer.com/careers/maintenance-and-repair-worker-general) — median $49,590
- [Septic Tank Servicer and Sewer Pipe Cleaner](https://nuecareer.com/careers/septic-tank-servicer-and-sewer-pipe-cleaner) — median $49,880
- [Control and Valve Installer and Repairer, Except Mechanical Door](https://nuecareer.com/careers/control-and-valve-installer-and-repairer) — median $74,340
- [Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanic and Installer](https://nuecareer.com/careers/heating-air-conditioning-and-refrigeration-mechanic-and-installer) — median $61,010
- [Stationary Engineer and Boiler Operator](https://nuecareer.com/careers/stationary-engineer-and-boiler-operator) — median $78,620
- [Construction Laborer](https://nuecareer.com/careers/construction-laborer) — median $47,120
- [Solar Thermal Installer and Technician](https://nuecareer.com/careers/solar-thermal-installer-and-technician) — median $63,800

### Plumber compared with

- [Electrician vs Plumber](https://nuecareer.com/careers/electrician-vs-plumber) — side by side on BLS wage percentiles, projected growth, openings and entry requirements

## Sources

- **O\*NET** — O\*NET 30.3 Database, May 2026. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS OEWS** — BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS EP** — BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2, 2024–2034. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **BLS OOH** — BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/
- **BEA RPP** — BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024. https://www.bea.gov/data/prices-inflation/regional-price-parities-state-and-metro-area

---

This bank includes information from the O\*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. NueCareer has transformed the data by joining it to BLS wage and projection data and deriving facet, personality-fit and AI-resilience scores. BLS and BEA data are public domain (17 U.S.C. §105).

O\*NET content is used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). How these figures are sourced and derived: https://nuecareer.com/careers/methodology

JSON representation of this page: https://nuecareer.com/api/v1/careers/plumber