How much does a Plumber make in Idaho?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $57,380 for Plumbers in Idaho as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $45,420 and the 75th-percentile is $69,510.

What is the real (cost-adjusted) Plumber salary in Idaho?

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 92.2 for Idaho), the real-wage equivalent is $62,210 — what the $57,380 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $49,243 to $75,361.

Where does Idaho rank for Plumber pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Idaho ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

How wide is the wage spread in Idaho?

P10 to P90 spans $39,340 to $79,550. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

Is Idaho a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Plumbers?

Yes — the BEA RPP of 92.2 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $57,380 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $62,210. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Plumbers comparing offers across regions.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Idaho?

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 Idaho.

How long is the Idaho plumbing apprenticeship and what's the master plumber payback?

Idaho typically requires 4-5 years (8,000-10,000 hours) of supervised on-the-job training plus 144+ classroom hours per year before the journeyman plumber exam. Master plumber licensure in Idaho requires an additional 2-5 years post-journeyman plus a separate exam, and unlocks business ownership, permit-pulling authority, and significantly higher compensation — owner-operator master plumbers in Idaho routinely earn 1.5-3× the BLS journeyman median once business profit is included. Apprenticeship pay starts at 40-60% of journeyman scale and ratchets up annually.

Plumber Salary in Idaho (2026): $57K Median, BEA RPP-Adjusted

TL;DR

Plumbers in Idaho earn a BLS median of $57,380, with real take-home of $62,210 after BEA RPP adjustment.
P25-P75 spread runs $45,420 to $69,510; P10 floor $39,340, P90 ceiling $79,550.
Cost of living below the national index lifts real wage by $4,830 over the nominal — a take-home arbitrage that nominal-ranking tables miss.
Nominal: #42/51 · Real: #35/51 — ranking shifts by 7 positions after RPP.

Wage breakdown — Idaho

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$39,340	$42,651
P25 (lower quartile)	$45,420	$49,243
P50 (median)	$57,380	$62,210
P75 (upper quartile)	$69,510	$75,361
P90 (top tier)	$79,550	$86,246
Mean	$59,110	$64,086
Employment	3,710 Plumbers in Idaho

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Idaho index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	92.2
Goods	95.9
Services	68.1
Rents	86.9

Idaho sits below the national baseline (RPP 92.2), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 86.9.

After-tax take-home — Idaho (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Plumber)	$57,380	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$4,748	8.3% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$2,415	5.8% flat (2026)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$4,390	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$45,828	79.9% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$49,686	÷ (92.2 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Idaho state-tax burden means for Plumber take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.2% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $45,828 (79.9% of gross). After the 92.2 RPP, real take-home is $49,686.

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. Idaho sits at #42 on nominal pay and #35 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Idaho climbs 7 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Plumber make in Idaho?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $57,380 for Plumbers in Idaho as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $45,420 and the 75th-percentile is $69,510.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) Plumber salary in Idaho?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 92.2 for Idaho), the real-wage equivalent is $62,210 — what the $57,380 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $49,243 to $75,361.
Where does Idaho rank for Plumber pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Idaho ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
How wide is the wage spread in Idaho?: P10 to P90 spans $39,340 to $79,550. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Is Idaho a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Plumbers?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 92.2 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $57,380 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $62,210. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Plumbers comparing offers across regions.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Idaho?: 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 Idaho.
How long is the Idaho plumbing apprenticeship and what's the master plumber payback?: Idaho typically requires 4-5 years (8,000-10,000 hours) of supervised on-the-job training plus 144+ classroom hours per year before the journeyman plumber exam. Master plumber licensure in Idaho requires an additional 2-5 years post-journeyman plus a separate exam, and unlocks business ownership, permit-pulling authority, and significantly higher compensation — owner-operator master plumbers in Idaho routinely earn 1.5-3× the BLS journeyman median once business profit is included. Apprenticeship pay starts at 40-60% of journeyman scale and ratchets up annually.

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.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-07.

Cross-comparison: see how Idaho 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.