How much does a Plumber make in North Carolina?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $50,990 for Plumbers in North Carolina as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $45,760 and the 75th-percentile is $62,050.

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

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 94.4 for North Carolina), the real-wage equivalent is $54,015 — what the $50,990 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $48,475 to $65,732.

Why is the BEA RPP for North Carolina 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. North Carolina's overall index of 94.4 reflects rents 80.8, services 83.6, and goods 96.8.

Where does North Carolina rank for Plumber pay?

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

Yes — the BEA RPP of 94.4 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $50,990 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $54,015. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Plumbers comparing offers across regions.

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.

Service plumber vs new construction plumber in North Carolina — pay difference?

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

North Carolina Plumber Salary: BLS $51K Median, Real $54K (2026)

TL;DR

Plumbers in North Carolina earn a BLS median of $50,990, with real take-home of $54,015 after BEA RPP adjustment.
Quartile range $45,760 (bottom 25%) to $62,050 (top 25%); the P10-P90 envelope is $37,690 to $72,650.
After the cost-of-living adjustment, take-home rises by $3,025 versus the BLS median — purchasing-power arbitrage.
Plumber ranking: #47 on the BLS table, #50 once cost of living is in.

Wage breakdown — North Carolina

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$37,690	$39,926
P25 (lower quartile)	$45,760	$48,475
P50 (median)	$50,990	$54,015
P75 (upper quartile)	$62,050	$65,732
P90 (top tier)	$72,650	$76,961
Mean	$54,120	$57,331
Employment	14,300 Plumbers in North Carolina

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	North Carolina index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	94.4
Goods	96.8
Services	83.6
Rents	80.8

North Carolina sits below the national baseline (RPP 94.4), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 80.8.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Plumber)	$50,990	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$3,981	7.8% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,625	4.25% flat (2026)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$3,901	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$41,483	81.4% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$43,945	÷ (94.4 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the North Carolina state-tax burden means for Plumber take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.2% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $41,483 (81.4% of gross). After the 94.4 RPP, real take-home is $43,945.

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. North Carolina sits at #47 on nominal pay and #50 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, North Carolina falls 3 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Plumber make in North Carolina?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $50,990 for Plumbers in North Carolina as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $45,760 and the 75th-percentile is $62,050.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) Plumber salary in North Carolina?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 94.4 for North Carolina), the real-wage equivalent is $54,015 — what the $50,990 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $48,475 to $65,732.
Why is the BEA RPP for North Carolina 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. North Carolina's overall index of 94.4 reflects rents 80.8, services 83.6, and goods 96.8.
Where does North Carolina rank for Plumber pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, North Carolina 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 North Carolina a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Plumbers?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 94.4 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $50,990 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $54,015. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Plumbers comparing offers across regions.
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.
Service plumber vs new construction plumber in North Carolina — pay difference?: BLS aggregates plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters (47-2152) into one category. In North Carolina, residential service plumbers (drain cleaning, water heater replacement, repair calls) earn near or below BLS median; commission-based service models in North Carolina can produce above-median earnings for high-volume techs but with substantial variance. New-construction plumbing in North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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.