How many Plumbers does Ohio employ?

BLS OES counts 14,490 Plumbers employed in Ohio 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 Ohio 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. Ohio's overall index of 91.9 reflects rents 72.1, services 89.2, and goods 94.2.

Where does Ohio rank for Plumber pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Ohio 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 Ohio?

P10 to P90 spans $40,720 to $96,310. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

When does this data update?

BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.

Union vs non-union plumber pay in Ohio?

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

How long is the Ohio plumbing apprenticeship and what's the master plumber payback?

Ohio 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 Ohio 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 Ohio 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.

Plumber Salary in Ohio (2026): $63K Median, BEA RPP-Adjusted

TL;DR

Headline Plumber pay in Ohio is $62,530. Real take-home, after the state's cost-of-living index, lands at $68,039.
Below-100 RPP flips this state above its nominal rank in real-wage terms; the gap is about $5,509.
Bottom quartile $49,020, top quartile $82,080. The P90 ($96,310) is roughly 2.4× the P10 ($40,720).
State ranks #26 nationally on nominal wage, #24 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.

Wage breakdown — Ohio

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$40,720	$44,308
P25 (lower quartile)	$49,020	$53,339
P50 (median)	$62,530	$68,039
P75 (upper quartile)	$82,080	$89,312
P90 (top tier)	$96,310	$104,795
Mean	$66,940	$72,838
Employment	14,490 Plumbers in Ohio

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Ohio index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	91.9
Goods	94.2
Services	89.2
Rents	72.1

Ohio sits below the national baseline (RPP 91.9), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 72.1.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Plumber)	$62,530	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$5,366	8.6% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,009	0–3.5% (graduated, +local 0.5–3% RITA cities)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$4,784	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$51,372	82.2% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$55,898	÷ (91.9 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Ohio's state tax is light at this income tier (~1.6% effective). The bigger compensation lever is the below-baseline cost of living (RPP 91.9), which lifts real take-home above nominal after-tax — net real after-tax $55,898. Local-tax overlay: Most Ohio cities levy 0.5–3% local income tax (RITA / CCA jurisdictions). Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Akron all assess ≥2.5%.

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. Ohio sits at #26 on nominal pay and #24 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Ohio climbs 2 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How many Plumbers does Ohio employ?: BLS OES counts 14,490 Plumbers employed in Ohio 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 Ohio 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. Ohio's overall index of 91.9 reflects rents 72.1, services 89.2, and goods 94.2.
Where does Ohio rank for Plumber pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Ohio 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 Ohio?: P10 to P90 spans $40,720 to $96,310. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
When does this data update?: BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.
Union vs non-union plumber pay in Ohio?: BLS does not split union from non-union compensation. In Ohio, 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 Ohio is predominantly non-union. UA Local hall job boards in Ohio are the cleanest reference for current scale and benefit values.
How long is the Ohio plumbing apprenticeship and what's the master plumber payback?: Ohio 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 Ohio 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 Ohio 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.

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

Cross-comparison: see how Ohio 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.