How much does a Plumber make in Virginia?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $59,560 for Plumbers in Virginia as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $48,260 and the 75th-percentile is $66,830.

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

The 90th percentile lands at $76,650. 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 $66,830.

Why is the BEA RPP for Virginia 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. Virginia's overall index of 101.3 reflects rents 105.6, services 92.4, and goods 101.1.

Where does Virginia rank for Plumber pay?

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

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

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Virginia?

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 Virginia.

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

Virginia 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 Virginia 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 Virginia 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.

2026 Plumber Salary — Virginia ($60K BLS, RPP-Adjusted Real Wage)

TL;DR

Virginia pays Plumbers a BLS median of $59,560 — the more useful number is $58,778, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
Mid-band cost of living: real and nominal wage are within a few percent of each other.
Wage envelope: $41,050 (P10) to $76,650 (P90), with quartiles at $48,260 and $66,830.
State ranks #38 nationally on nominal wage, #44 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.

Wage breakdown — Virginia

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$41,050	$40,511
P25 (lower quartile)	$48,260	$47,626
P50 (median)	$59,560	$58,778
P75 (upper quartile)	$66,830	$65,952
P90 (top tier)	$76,650	$75,643
Mean	$58,820	$58,047
Employment	13,190 Plumbers in Virginia

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Virginia index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	101.3
Goods	101.1
Services	92.4
Rents	105.6

Virginia's overall RPP (101.3) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Plumber)	$59,560	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$5,009	8.4% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$2,678	2–5.75% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$4,556	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$47,316	79.4% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$46,695	÷ (101.3 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.5% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $47,316 (79.4% of gross). After the 101.3 RPP, real take-home is $46,695.

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. Virginia sits at #38 on nominal pay and #44 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Virginia falls 6 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Plumber make in Virginia?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $59,560 for Plumbers in Virginia as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $48,260 and the 75th-percentile is $66,830.
What does the top of the Plumber pay scale look like in Virginia?: The 90th percentile lands at $76,650. 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 $66,830.
Why is the BEA RPP for Virginia 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. Virginia's overall index of 101.3 reflects rents 105.6, services 92.4, and goods 101.1.
Where does Virginia rank for Plumber pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Virginia 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 Virginia a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Plumbers?: No — Virginia's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Virginia?: 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 Virginia.
How long is the Virginia plumbing apprenticeship and what's the master plumber payback?: Virginia 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 Virginia 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 Virginia 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 Virginia 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.