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

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 105.4 for New Hampshire), the real-wage equivalent is $58,856 — what the $62,030 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $46,493 to $73,563.

Where does New Hampshire rank for Plumber pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire?

P10 to P90 spans $40,330 to $85,480. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

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 New Hampshire?

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 New Hampshire.

Union vs non-union plumber pay in New Hampshire?

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

Service plumber vs new construction plumber in New Hampshire — pay difference?

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

Plumber Salary in New Hampshire (2026): $62K Median, BEA RPP-Adjusted

TL;DR

New Hampshire pays Plumbers a BLS median of $62,030 — the more useful number is $58,856, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
Nominal: #29/51 · Real: #43/51 — ranking shifts by 14 positions after RPP.
Cost of living tracks roughly with the national index, so nominal and real wages stay close.
Wage envelope: $40,330 (P10) to $85,480 (P90), with quartiles at $49,000 and $77,530.

Wage breakdown — New Hampshire

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$40,330	$38,266
P25 (lower quartile)	$49,000	$46,493
P50 (median)	$62,030	$58,856
P75 (upper quartile)	$77,530	$73,563
P90 (top tier)	$85,480	$81,106
Mean	$64,080	$60,801
Employment	2,530 Plumbers in New Hampshire

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	New Hampshire index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	105.4
Goods	100.0
Services	156.2
Rents	114.5

New Hampshire is a high-cost state — RPP 105.4 above the national 100 baseline. Most of the cost premium routes through rents (114.5) and services (156.2).

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Plumber)	$62,030	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$5,306	8.6% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	$0	no tax on wage income (interest/dividends only, repealed 2027)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$4,745	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$51,979	83.8% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$49,319	÷ (105.4 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the New Hampshire state-tax burden means for Plumber take-home

New Hampshire levies no state income tax on wages, which is worth roughly $3,102 a year for a Plumber at the BLS median compared with the national-average state burden (≈5%). After cost of living, real take-home is $49,319 — lower than the nominal after-tax figure because RPP exceeds 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. New Hampshire sits at #29 on nominal pay and #43 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, New Hampshire falls 14 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

What is the real (cost-adjusted) Plumber salary in New Hampshire?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 105.4 for New Hampshire), the real-wage equivalent is $58,856 — what the $62,030 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $46,493 to $73,563.
Where does New Hampshire rank for Plumber pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire?: P10 to P90 spans $40,330 to $85,480. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
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 New Hampshire?: 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 New Hampshire.
Union vs non-union plumber pay in New Hampshire?: BLS does not split union from non-union compensation. In New Hampshire, 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 New Hampshire is predominantly non-union. UA Local hall job boards in New Hampshire are the cleanest reference for current scale and benefit values.
Service plumber vs new construction plumber in New Hampshire — pay difference?: BLS aggregates plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters (47-2152) into one category. In New Hampshire, residential service plumbers (drain cleaning, water heater replacement, repair calls) earn near or below BLS median; commission-based service models in New Hampshire can produce above-median earnings for high-volume techs but with substantial variance. New-construction plumbing in New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire 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.