What does the top of the Plumber pay scale look like in Maine?

The 90th percentile lands at $80,380. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $75,320.

How many Plumbers does Maine employ?

BLS OES counts 2,480 Plumbers employed in Maine in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Why is the BEA RPP for Maine 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. Maine's overall index of 98.0 reflects rents 80.4, services 148.2, and goods 98.3.

Where does Maine rank for Plumber pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Maine 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.

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

No — Maine's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Maine?

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 Maine.

Union vs non-union plumber pay in Maine?

BLS does not split union from non-union compensation. In Maine, 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 Maine is predominantly non-union. UA Local hall job boards in Maine are the cleanest reference for current scale and benefit values.

Maine Plumber Salary: BLS $62K Median, Real $63K (2026)

TL;DR

BLS reports Maine Plumber median pay at $61,890. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $63,176.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #31 of 51; nominal rank is #31.
Mid-band cost of living: real and nominal wage are within a few percent of each other.
Quartile range $58,590 (bottom 25%) to $75,320 (top 25%); the P10-P90 envelope is $47,810 to $80,380.

Wage breakdown — Maine

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$47,810	$48,804
P25 (lower quartile)	$58,590	$59,808
P50 (median)	$61,890	$63,176
P75 (upper quartile)	$75,320	$76,885
P90 (top tier)	$80,380	$82,051
Mean	$65,740	$67,106
Employment	2,480 Plumbers in Maine

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Maine index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	98.0
Goods	98.3
Services	148.2
Rents	80.4

Maine's overall RPP (98.0) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Plumber)	$61,890	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$5,289	8.5% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$2,945	5.8–7.15% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$4,735	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$48,922	79.0% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$49,939	÷ (98.0 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.8% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $48,922 (79.0% of gross). After the 98.0 RPP, real take-home is $49,939.

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. Maine sits at #31 on nominal pay and #31 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. Nominal and real ranking are the same — cost of living and pay scale together.

Frequently asked questions

What does the top of the Plumber pay scale look like in Maine?: The 90th percentile lands at $80,380. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $75,320.
How many Plumbers does Maine employ?: BLS OES counts 2,480 Plumbers employed in Maine in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Why is the BEA RPP for Maine 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. Maine's overall index of 98.0 reflects rents 80.4, services 148.2, and goods 98.3.
Where does Maine rank for Plumber pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Maine 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.
Is Maine a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Plumbers?: No — Maine's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Maine?: 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 Maine.
Union vs non-union plumber pay in Maine?: BLS does not split union from non-union compensation. In Maine, 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 Maine is predominantly non-union. UA Local hall job boards in Maine are the cleanest reference for current scale and benefit values.

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 Maine 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.