How much does a Plumber make in Maryland?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $63,270 for Plumbers in Maryland as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $49,390 and the 75th-percentile is $81,280.

How are Maryland 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.

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

The 90th percentile lands at $105,610. 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 $81,280.

How many Plumbers does Maryland employ?

BLS OES counts 11,490 Plumbers employed in Maryland in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Where does Maryland rank for Plumber pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Maryland 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 Maryland a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Plumbers?

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

Service plumber vs new construction plumber in Maryland — pay difference?

BLS aggregates plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters (47-2152) into one category. In Maryland, residential service plumbers (drain cleaning, water heater replacement, repair calls) earn near or below BLS median; commission-based service models in Maryland can produce above-median earnings for high-volume techs but with substantial variance. New-construction plumbing in Maryland pays above median for pipefitter and steamfitter specialties on industrial and commercial projects, especially when union-rate prevailing-wage rules apply on government work.

How Much Do Plumbers Make in Maryland? $63K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

$63,270 is the BLS median wage for Plumbers in Maryland; $60,486 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
Nominal: #22/51 · Real: #40/51 — ranking shifts by 18 positions after RPP.
BEA RPP near 100 means nominal pay translates almost 1:1 into real take-home.
Bottom quartile $49,390, top quartile $81,280. The P90 ($105,610) is roughly 2.5× the P10 ($42,730).

Wage breakdown — Maryland

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$42,730	$40,850
P25 (lower quartile)	$49,390	$47,217
P50 (median)	$63,270	$60,486
P75 (upper quartile)	$81,280	$77,704
P90 (top tier)	$105,610	$100,964
Mean	$69,980	$66,901
Employment	11,490 Plumbers in Maryland

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Maryland index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	104.6
Goods	103.2
Services	108.7
Rents	119.9

Maryland's overall RPP (104.6) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Plumber)	$63,270	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$5,454	8.6% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$2,832	2–5.75% (graduated, +county piggyback 2.25–3.2%)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$4,840	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$50,144	79.3% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$47,938	÷ (104.6 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.5% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $50,144 (79.3% of gross). After the 104.6 RPP, real take-home is $47,938. Local-tax overlay: Maryland counties piggyback 2.25–3.2% on state liability — Baltimore City and Howard / Montgomery / PG counties at the top of the range.

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. Maryland sits at #22 on nominal pay and #40 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Maryland falls 18 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Plumber make in Maryland?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $63,270 for Plumbers in Maryland as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $49,390 and the 75th-percentile is $81,280.
How are Maryland 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.
What does the top of the Plumber pay scale look like in Maryland?: The 90th percentile lands at $105,610. 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 $81,280.
How many Plumbers does Maryland employ?: BLS OES counts 11,490 Plumbers employed in Maryland in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Where does Maryland rank for Plumber pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Maryland 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 Maryland a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Plumbers?: No — Maryland's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.
Service plumber vs new construction plumber in Maryland — pay difference?: BLS aggregates plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters (47-2152) into one category. In Maryland, residential service plumbers (drain cleaning, water heater replacement, repair calls) earn near or below BLS median; commission-based service models in Maryland can produce above-median earnings for high-volume techs but with substantial variance. New-construction plumbing in Maryland 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.

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

Cross-comparison: see how Maryland 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.