How much does a Plumber make in Pennsylvania?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $66,650 for Plumbers in Pennsylvania as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $51,990 and the 75th-percentile is $82,700.

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

The 90th percentile lands at $108,770. 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 $82,700.

How many Plumbers does Pennsylvania employ?

BLS OES counts 13,990 Plumbers employed in Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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. Pennsylvania's overall index of 97.4 reflects rents 85.8, services 118.3, and goods 98.4.

Where does Pennsylvania rank for Plumber pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania?

P10 to P90 spans $45,070 to $108,770. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

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

Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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.

How Much Do Plumbers Make in Pennsylvania? $67K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

Median Plumber salary in Pennsylvania: $66,650 nominal, $68,429 real (BEA RPP basis).
P25-P75 spread runs $51,990 to $82,700; P10 floor $45,070, P90 ceiling $108,770.
Mid-band cost of living: real and nominal wage are within a few percent of each other.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #22 of 51; nominal rank is #16.

Wage breakdown — Pennsylvania

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$45,070	$46,273
P25 (lower quartile)	$51,990	$53,378
P50 (median)	$66,650	$68,429
P75 (upper quartile)	$82,700	$84,908
P90 (top tier)	$108,770	$111,674
Mean	$73,950	$75,924
Employment	13,990 Plumbers in Pennsylvania

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Pennsylvania index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	97.4
Goods	98.4
Services	118.3
Rents	85.8

Pennsylvania's overall RPP (97.4) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Plumber)	$66,650	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$5,910	8.9% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$2,046	3.07% flat (+ local 0.5-3.9% Philly/Pgh)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$5,099	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$53,595	80.4% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$55,026	÷ (97.4 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.1% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $53,595 (80.4% of gross). After the 97.4 RPP, real take-home is $55,026. Local-tax overlay: Philadelphia residents pay 3.75% city wage tax; Pittsburgh ~3% combined city + school. Subtract roughly $2,333/year if PHL-based.

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. Pennsylvania sits at #16 on nominal pay and #22 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Pennsylvania falls 6 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Plumber make in Pennsylvania?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $66,650 for Plumbers in Pennsylvania as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $51,990 and the 75th-percentile is $82,700.
What does the top of the Plumber pay scale look like in Pennsylvania?: The 90th percentile lands at $108,770. 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 $82,700.
How many Plumbers does Pennsylvania employ?: BLS OES counts 13,990 Plumbers employed in Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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. Pennsylvania's overall index of 97.4 reflects rents 85.8, services 118.3, and goods 98.4.
Where does Pennsylvania rank for Plumber pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania?: P10 to P90 spans $45,070 to $108,770. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
How long is the Pennsylvania plumbing apprenticeship and what's the master plumber payback?: Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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.