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

The 90th percentile lands at $81,570. 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 $72,200.

How wide is the wage spread in Tennessee?

P10 to P90 spans $38,080 to $81,570. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

Is Tennessee a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Plumbers?

Yes — the BEA RPP of 92.1 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $57,730 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $62,686. 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.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Tennessee?

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 Tennessee.

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.

Service plumber vs new construction plumber in Tennessee — pay difference?

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

Tennessee Plumber Salary 2026 — BLS Median $58K, Real Take-Home $63K

TL;DR

Tennessee pays Plumbers a BLS median of $57,730 — the more useful number is $62,686, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
After the cost-of-living adjustment, take-home rises by $4,956 versus the BLS median — purchasing-power arbitrage.
P25-P75 spread runs $45,610 to $72,200; P10 floor $38,080, P90 ceiling $81,570.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #32 of 51; nominal rank is #41.

Wage breakdown — Tennessee

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$38,080	$41,349
P25 (lower quartile)	$45,610	$49,525
P50 (median)	$57,730	$62,686
P75 (upper quartile)	$72,200	$78,398
P90 (top tier)	$81,570	$88,573
Mean	$59,430	$64,532
Employment	8,810 Plumbers in Tennessee

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Tennessee index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	92.1
Goods	94.3
Services	76.4
Rents	77.9

Tennessee sits below the national baseline (RPP 92.1), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 77.9.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Plumber)	$57,730	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$4,790	8.3% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	$0	no state income tax (Hall tax repealed 2021)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$4,416	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$48,524	84.1% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$52,690	÷ (92.1 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Tennessee levies no state income tax on wages, which is worth roughly $2,887 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 $52,690 — 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. Tennessee sits at #41 on nominal pay and #32 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Tennessee climbs 9 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

What does the top of the Plumber pay scale look like in Tennessee?: The 90th percentile lands at $81,570. 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 $72,200.
How wide is the wage spread in Tennessee?: P10 to P90 spans $38,080 to $81,570. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Is Tennessee a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Plumbers?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 92.1 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $57,730 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $62,686. 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.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Tennessee?: 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 Tennessee.
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.
Service plumber vs new construction plumber in Tennessee — pay difference?: BLS aggregates plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters (47-2152) into one category. In Tennessee, residential service plumbers (drain cleaning, water heater replacement, repair calls) earn near or below BLS median; commission-based service models in Tennessee can produce above-median earnings for high-volume techs but with substantial variance. New-construction plumbing in Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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.