Plumber · Arkansas · SOC 47-2152
Plumber Salary in Arkansas (2026)
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2024 reference period · BEA Regional Price Parity 2023 vintage · Last synced 2026-05-07.
TL;DR
- BLS reports Arkansas Plumber median pay at $49,700. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $57,251.
- Quartile range $42,320 (bottom 25%) to $62,310 (top 25%); the P10-P90 envelope is $33,200 to $69,940.
- Below-100 RPP flips this state above its nominal rank in real-wage terms; the gap is about $7,551.
- Plumber ranking: #50 on the BLS table, #48 once cost of living is in.
Wage breakdown — Arkansas
| Percentile | Nominal (BLS) | Real (BEA RPP-adjusted) |
|---|---|---|
| P10 (entry tier) | $33,200 | $38,244 |
| P25 (lower quartile) | $42,320 | $48,750 |
| P50 (median) | $49,700 | $57,251 |
| P75 (upper quartile) | $62,310 | $71,777 |
| P90 (top tier) | $69,940 | $80,567 |
| Mean | $51,630 | $59,475 |
| Employment | 3,080 Plumbers in Arkansas | |
Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity
| Component | Arkansas index (US = 100) |
|---|---|
| All-items RPP | 86.8 |
| Goods | 93.1 |
| Services | 81.9 |
| Rents | 56.7 |
Arkansas sits below the national baseline (RPP 86.8), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 56.7.
After-tax take-home — Arkansas (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)
Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median
| Layer | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Gross BLS P50 (Plumber) | $49,700 | nominal median |
| Federal income tax | −$3,826 | 7.7% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied |
| State income tax | −$1,439 | 0–3.9% (graduated) |
| FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%) | −$3,802 | SS capped at $183,600 wage base |
| Take-home (after-tax) | $40,633 | 81.8% of gross |
| Real take-home (RPP-adjusted) | $46,807 | ÷ (86.8 / 100) BEA cost-of-living |
What the Arkansas state-tax burden means for Plumber take-home
Mid-band state-tax burden at 2.9% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $40,633 (81.8% of gross). After the 86.8 RPP, real take-home is $46,807.
Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).
National context
Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $62,970 for Plumbers with mean pay of $69,940 and total employment of 455,940. Arkansas sits at #50 on nominal pay and #48 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Arkansas climbs 2 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Plumber make in Arkansas?
- BLS reports a median annual wage of $49,700 for Plumbers in Arkansas as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $42,320 and the 75th-percentile is $62,310.
- How are Arkansas Plumber salaries calculated on this page?
- Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.
- Why is the BEA RPP for Arkansas different from a single CPI number?
- BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Arkansas's overall index of 86.8 reflects rents 56.7, services 81.9, and goods 93.1.
- What are the limits of these Plumber salary numbers?
- BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.
- Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Arkansas?
- The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Arkansas.
- Union vs non-union plumber pay in Arkansas?
- BLS does not split union from non-union compensation. In Arkansas, UA (United Association)-represented plumbers and pipefitters typically earn 20-40% above non-union median once health, pension, and annuity contributions are included. The premium is concentrated in industrial, commercial, and government project work; residential service plumbing in Arkansas is predominantly non-union. UA Local hall job boards in Arkansas are the cleanest reference for current scale and benefit values.
- Service plumber vs new construction plumber in Arkansas — pay difference?
- BLS aggregates plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters (47-2152) into one category. In Arkansas, residential service plumbers (drain cleaning, water heater replacement, repair calls) earn near or below BLS median; commission-based service models in Arkansas can produce above-median earnings for high-volume techs but with substantial variance. New-construction plumbing in Arkansas pays above median for pipefitter and steamfitter specialties on industrial and commercial projects, especially when union-rate prevailing-wage rules apply on government work.
Sources & methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 47-2152, 2024 reference period.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
- Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
- See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.
Cross-comparison: see how Arkansas Plumber pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.