Why is the BEA RPP for Utah 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. Utah's overall index of 95.7 reflects rents 106.2, services 73.0, and goods 94.7.

Where does Utah rank for Plumber pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Utah 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 Utah?

P10 to P90 spans $39,770 to $81,460. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

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

No — Utah's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty 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 Utah?

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 Utah.

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.

2026 Plumber Salary — Utah ($62K BLS, RPP-Adjusted Real Wage)

TL;DR

$61,680 is the BLS median wage for Plumbers in Utah; $64,441 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
Mid-band cost of living: real and nominal wage are within a few percent of each other.
P25-P75 spread runs $48,410 to $76,970; P10 floor $39,770, P90 ceiling $81,460.
Nominal: #32/51 · Real: #29/51 — ranking shifts by 3 positions after RPP.

Wage breakdown — Utah

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$39,770	$41,550
P25 (lower quartile)	$48,410	$50,577
P50 (median)	$61,680	$64,441
P75 (upper quartile)	$76,970	$80,415
P90 (top tier)	$81,460	$85,106
Mean	$62,600	$65,402
Employment	6,770 Plumbers in Utah

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Utah index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	95.7
Goods	94.7
Services	73.0
Rents	106.2

Utah's overall RPP (95.7) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Plumber)	$61,680	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$5,264	8.5% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$2,067	4.5% flat (2026)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$4,719	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$49,631	80.5% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$51,852	÷ (95.7 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.4% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $49,631 (80.5% of gross). After the 95.7 RPP, real take-home is $51,852.

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. Utah sits at #32 on nominal pay and #29 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Utah climbs 3 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the BEA RPP for Utah 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. Utah's overall index of 95.7 reflects rents 106.2, services 73.0, and goods 94.7.
Where does Utah rank for Plumber pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Utah 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 Utah?: P10 to P90 spans $39,770 to $81,460. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Is Utah a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Plumbers?: No — Utah's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty 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 Utah?: 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 Utah.
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.

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 Utah 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.