Highest-Paying U.S. Metro Areas for Plumbers: Top 100
Where Plumber Pay Is Highest Across U.S. Metro Areas
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California leads the ranking with a median annual wage of $107,560. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin follows at $103,380, and Bellingham, Washington ranks third at $102,750.
The ranking uses U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data for SOC 47-2152, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters. BLS reports these trades together under one detailed occupation.
This 2026 snapshot uses official May 2025 wage estimates released on May 15, 2026. It covers 100 metropolitan areas, uses nominal annual median wages in U.S. dollars, and ranks higher wages above lower wages. All figures are published BLS estimates.
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ranks first.
Battle Creek, MI ranks 100th.
Metropolitan areas with a published May 2025 median wage.
U.S. median for SOC 47-2152 in May 2025.
What the Ranking Measures
The metric is the BLS annual median wage for SOC 47-2152. The median is the 50th percentile: half of workers in the occupation earn less and half earn more. It is not a mean wage, contractor billing rate, prevailing wage or guaranteed individual salary.
The figures are not adjusted for housing costs, taxes or other local prices, so the ranking compares nominal pay rather than purchasing power.
OEWS covers wage-and-salary workers. Self-employed workers, owners and partners in unincorporated firms, household workers and unpaid family workers are outside the survey scope.
Top 10 Highest-Paying Metro Areas
Five metros have median annual wages of at least $100,000. San Jose leads the group at $107,560, while the 10th-ranked metro, Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, has a median of $95,530.
Top 10 metropolitan areas by May 2025 annual median wage for SOC 47-2152
| Rank | Metro area | Median annual wage | Region / source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $107,560 | West · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 2 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $103,380 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 3 | Bellingham, WA | $102,750 | West · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 4 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $101,630 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 5 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $101,010 | West · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 6 | Kennewick-Richland, WA | $97,130 | West · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 7 | Bloomington, IN | $96,980 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 8 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $96,760 | Northeast · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 9 | Fairbanks-College, AK | $96,670 | West · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 10 | Champaign-Urbana, IL | $95,530 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
Top 20 Metro Wage Comparison
The 20 highest-paying metros range from $107,560 in San Jose to $91,470 in Kokomo, Indiana.
Methodology and Data Limits
The ranking uses the BLS OEWS annual median wage for SOC 47-2152, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters. The estimates refer to May 2025 and were released on May 15, 2026.
Metric
Annual median wage in nominal U.S. dollars. Metros are ordered from highest to lowest.
Source
All 100 wage figures are published BLS estimates. No projections are used.
Coverage
The table includes metropolitan areas with a published May 2025 median for SOC 47-2152. Nonmetropolitan areas and rows without a published median are excluded.
Region labels
For multi-state metro areas, the region is assigned using the first state listed in the BLS area name.
BLS builds the May 2025 OEWS estimates from six semiannual survey panels collected from November 2022 through May 2025 and uses its model-based three-year estimation method, known as MB3.
OEWS wages represent straight-time gross pay. Overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer-paid supplementary benefits and tuition reimbursement are excluded.
For workers normally paid hourly, BLS generally annualizes wages using 2,080 hours. The annual figure is therefore a BLS wage estimate, not a worker's total compensation.
When two metros have the same published median wage, they are ordered alphabetically. Metros with the same wage should be read as tied. The equal-value pairs in this Top 100 are Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood and Saginaw at $80,440, and Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood and Norwich-New London-Willimantic at $76,980.
The midpoint of the displayed Top 100 is $80,705, calculated from ranks 50 and 51. This midpoint is calculated from the table and is not a BLS-published figure.
The ranking does not measure purchasing power, benefits, licensing requirements, job availability, union coverage, hours worked or contractor revenue. Small differences between nearby metro wages may not be statistically meaningful.
Full Top 100 Metro Ranking
Search by metro, filter by region or status, or sort the ranking by wage or metro name.
Top 100 metropolitan areas by May 2025 annual median wage for SOC 47-2152
| Rank | Metro area | Median annual wage | Region / source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $107,560 | West · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 2 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $103,380 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 3 | Bellingham, WA | $102,750 | West · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 4 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $101,630 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 5 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $101,010 | West · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 6 | Kennewick-Richland, WA | $97,130 | West · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 7 | Bloomington, IN | $96,980 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 8 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $96,760 | Northeast · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 9 | Fairbanks-College, AK | $96,670 | West · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 10 | Champaign-Urbana, IL | $95,530 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 11 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $95,230 | West · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 12 | Springfield, IL | $94,370 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 13 | Rockford, IL | $94,230 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 14 | Anchorage, AK | $93,600 | West · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 15 | Eau Claire, WI | $92,720 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 16 | Bend, OR | $92,330 | West · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 17 | Springfield, MA | $92,080 | Northeast · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 18 | Appleton, WI | $91,750 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 19 | Sheboygan, WI | $91,530 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 20 | Kokomo, IN | $91,470 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 21 | Kalamazoo-Portage, MI | $90,730 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 22 | Green Bay, WI | $90,570 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 23 | Terre Haute, IN | $90,250 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 24 | St. Cloud, MN | $90,230 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 25 | Binghamton, NY | $87,990 | Northeast · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 26 | Wausau, WI | $86,750 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 27 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $86,370 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 28 | Oshkosh-Neenah, WI | $86,320 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 29 | Columbus, IN | $85,930 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 30 | Madison, WI | $85,160 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 31 | Peoria, IL | $85,090 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 32 | Duluth, MN-WI | $85,060 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 33 | Eugene-Springfield, OR | $84,910 | West · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 34 | Rochester, MN | $84,880 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 35 | Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | $84,700 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 36 | Albany, OR | $84,620 | West · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 37 | Cedar Rapids, IA | $83,210 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 38 | Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $82,960 | West · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 39 | La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN | $82,610 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 40 | Worcester, MA | $82,260 | Northeast · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 41 | Michigan City-La Porte, IN | $82,200 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 42 | Paducah, KY-IL | $82,120 | South · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 43 | Pittsfield, MA | $81,970 | Northeast · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 44 | Jackson, MI | $81,930 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 45 | Glens Falls, NY | $81,820 | Northeast · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 46 | Billings, MT | $81,690 | West · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 47 | Kankakee, IL | $81,620 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 48 | Bozeman, MT | $81,310 | West · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 49 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $81,120 | West · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 50 | Longview-Kelso, WA | $80,710 | West · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 51 | Monroe, MI | $80,700 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 52 | Salem, OR | $80,610 | West · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 53 | Flint, MI | $80,510 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 54 | Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI | $80,440 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages · tied at this value. |
| 55 | Saginaw, MI | $80,440 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages · tied at this value. |
| 56 | Corvallis, OR | $80,400 | West · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 57 | Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | $80,030 | West · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 58 | Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | $79,820 | Northeast · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 59 | Missoula, MT | $79,750 | West · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 60 | Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $79,700 | Northeast · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 61 | Janesville-Beloit, WI | $79,070 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 62 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $78,610 | Northeast · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 63 | Amherst Town-Northampton, MA | $78,570 | Northeast · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 64 | Medford, OR | $78,440 | West · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 65 | Ann Arbor, MI | $78,210 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 66 | Lansing-East Lansing, MI | $78,190 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 67 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $77,880 | West · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 68 | Bloomington, IL | $77,700 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 69 | New Haven, CT | $77,620 | Northeast · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 70 | Kahului-Wailuku, HI | $77,610 | West · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 71 | Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | $77,540 | West · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 72 | Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | $77,460 | Northeast · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 73 | Kenosha, WI | $77,340 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 74 | Fond du Lac, WI | $77,310 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 75 | Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | $77,190 | Northeast · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 76 | Fort Wayne, IN | $77,110 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 77 | Great Falls, MT | $77,100 | West · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 78 | Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI | $77,070 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 79 | Vineland, NJ | $77,060 | Northeast · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 80 | Reno, NV | $77,020 | West · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 81 | St. Louis, MO-IL | $77,000 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 82 | Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | $76,980 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages · tied at this value. |
| 83 | Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT | $76,980 | Northeast · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages · tied at this value. |
| 84 | Waterbury-Shelton, CT | $76,880 | Northeast · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 85 | Decatur, IL | $76,750 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 86 | Trenton-Princeton, NJ | $76,360 | Northeast · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 87 | Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | $76,310 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 88 | Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI | $76,290 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 89 | Barnstable Town, MA | $76,270 | Northeast · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 90 | Kansas City, MO-KS | $76,150 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 91 | Topeka, KS | $75,090 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 92 | Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | $75,040 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 93 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $74,860 | Northeast · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 94 | Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | $74,680 | South · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 95 | Bay City, MI | $74,490 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 96 | Mankato, MN | $74,450 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 97 | Baton Rouge, LA | $74,240 | South · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 98 | Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA | $74,200 | West · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 99 | South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI | $74,190 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
| 100 | Battle Creek, MI | $73,900 | Midwest · Official BLS OEWS · May 2025 wages. |
Metros are ordered by published May 2025 annual median wage, highest to lowest.
What Stands Out in the Top 100
Key Insight
Only five metros in the Top 100 have median annual wages of $100,000 or more.
Notable Pattern
The midpoint of the displayed Top 100 is $80,705, while the 100th-ranked metro is at $73,900.
Regional Concentration
Using the first state listed in each BLS metro name, 52 entries fall in the Midwest, 26 in the West, 19 in the Northeast and 3 in the South.
Outlier
San Jose is the only metro above $105,000, with a median annual wage of $107,560.
How to Read the Ranking
The table compares BLS median wages, not individual earnings. A worker's actual pay can differ by experience, employer, union status, hours and other factors.
These wages are not adjusted for local living costs, so a higher nominal wage does not necessarily mean greater purchasing power.
Small differences between nearby metro wages may not be statistically meaningful.
FAQ
Which U.S. metro has the highest median wage for plumbers?
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ranks first with a May 2025 median annual wage of $107,560 for SOC 47-2152.
Are these 2026 wages?
No. This is a 2026 snapshot using official BLS OEWS estimates for May 2025, released on May 15, 2026.
Are these figures for plumbers only?
No. BLS reports plumbers together with pipefitters and steamfitters under SOC 47-2152, so the metro wage figures apply to the combined occupation.
What does median annual wage mean?
The median is the 50th-percentile wage: half of workers in the occupation earn less and half earn more.
What is the national median for this occupation?
The national May 2025 median annual wage for SOC 47-2152 is $63,800.
Does OEWS include self-employed plumbers?
No. OEWS covers wage-and-salary workers and excludes self-employed workers.
Does the annual wage include overtime?
No. OEWS uses straight-time gross pay and excludes overtime pay, shift differentials and employer-paid supplementary benefits.
Are the wages adjusted for cost of living?
No. The ranking uses nominal BLS wage estimates and does not adjust for housing, taxes or other local prices.
How are equal wage values handled?
Metros with the same wage should be read as tied. They are ordered alphabetically in the table.
Sources
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — May 2025 Metro Area Estimates
Official BLS metro-area wage tables for May 2025.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — OEWS Tables
Official access point for OEWS employment and wage datasets.
BLS — Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2025
BLS release announcing the May 2025 estimates on May 15, 2026.
https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/ocwage_05152026.pdf
BLS — Technical Notes for May 2025 OEWS Estimates
BLS technical documentation for survey scope, MB3, wage definitions and annualization.
BLS — Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
Official occupation profile and national wage benchmark for SOC 47-2152.
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/plumbers-pipefitters-and-steamfitters.htm
BLS — OEWS Documentation
Official OEWS documentation and methodology index.
