Plumber · Nevada · SOC 47-2152
2026 Plumber Pay in Nevada: BLS Median + Real Take-Home
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2024 reference period · BEA Regional Price Parity 2023 vintage · Last synced 2026-05-07.
TL;DR
- BLS reports Nevada Plumber median pay at $60,120. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $61,434.
- BEA RPP near 100 means nominal pay translates almost 1:1 into real take-home.
- Quartile range $47,380 (bottom 25%) to $82,370 (top 25%); the P10-P90 envelope is $40,870 to $108,690.
- Nominal: #36/51 · Real: #38/51 — ranking shifts by 2 positions after RPP.
Wage breakdown — Nevada
| Percentile | Nominal (BLS) | Real (BEA RPP-adjusted) |
|---|---|---|
| P10 (entry tier) | $40,870 | $41,763 |
| P25 (lower quartile) | $47,380 | $48,416 |
| P50 (median) | $60,120 | $61,434 |
| P75 (upper quartile) | $82,370 | $84,170 |
| P90 (top tier) | $108,690 | $111,066 |
| Mean | $67,380 | $68,853 |
| Employment | 5,330 Plumbers in Nevada | |
Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity
| Component | Nevada index (US = 100) |
|---|---|
| All-items RPP | 97.9 |
| Goods | 96.8 |
| Services | 91.3 |
| Rents | 113.3 |
Nevada's overall RPP (97.9) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.
After-tax take-home — Nevada (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)
Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median
| Layer | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Gross BLS P50 (Plumber) | $60,120 | nominal median |
| Federal income tax | −$5,076 | 8.4% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied |
| State income tax | $0 | no state income tax |
| FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%) | −$4,599 | SS capped at $183,600 wage base |
| Take-home (after-tax) | $50,444 | 83.9% of gross |
| Real take-home (RPP-adjusted) | $51,547 | ÷ (97.9 / 100) BEA cost-of-living |
What the Nevada state-tax burden means for Plumber take-home
Nevada levies no state income tax on wages, which is worth roughly $3,006 a year for a Plumber at the BLS median compared with the national-average state burden (≈5%). After the favorable cost of living, real take-home is $51,547 — higher than the nominal after-tax figure because RPP is below 100.
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. Nevada sits at #36 on nominal pay and #38 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Nevada falls 2 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the real (cost-adjusted) Plumber salary in Nevada?
- After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 97.9 for Nevada), the real-wage equivalent is $61,434 — what the $60,120 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $48,416 to $84,170.
- How are Nevada 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.
- How many Plumbers does Nevada employ?
- BLS OES counts 5,330 Plumbers employed in Nevada 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 Nevada 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. Nevada's overall index of 97.9 reflects rents 113.3, services 91.3, and goods 96.8.
- Is Nevada a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Plumbers?
- No — Nevada's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.
- Union vs non-union plumber pay in Nevada?
- BLS does not split union from non-union compensation. In Nevada, 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 Nevada is predominantly non-union. UA Local hall job boards in Nevada are the cleanest reference for current scale and benefit values.
- How long is the Nevada plumbing apprenticeship and what's the master plumber payback?
- Nevada 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 Nevada 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 Nevada 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.
Cross-comparison: see how Nevada 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.