How much does a Plumber make in Washington?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $79,070 for Plumbers in Washington as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $59,760 and the 75th-percentile is $106,100.

How many Plumbers does Washington employ?

BLS OES counts 12,210 Plumbers employed in Washington in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Where does Washington rank for Plumber pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Washington 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.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Washington?

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 Washington.

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 Washington?

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

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

Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington 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.

Washington Plumber Salary: BLS $79K Median, Real $73K (2026)

TL;DR

Plumbers in Washington earn a BLS median of $79,070, with real take-home of $72,963 after BEA RPP adjustment.
P25-P75 spread runs $59,760 to $106,100; P10 floor $47,570, P90 ceiling $139,280.
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 #11 of 51; nominal rank is #7.

Wage breakdown — Washington

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$47,570	$43,896
P25 (lower quartile)	$59,760	$55,144
P50 (median)	$79,070	$72,963
P75 (upper quartile)	$106,100	$97,905
P90 (top tier)	$139,280	$128,523
Mean	$87,360	$80,613
Employment	12,210 Plumbers in Washington

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Washington index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	108.4
Goods	106.9
Services	84.0
Rents	125.5

Washington is a high-cost state — RPP 108.4 above the national 100 baseline. Most of the cost premium routes through rents (125.5) and services (84.0).

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Plumber)	$79,070	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$8,642	10.9% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	$0	no state income tax (capital gains tax above $262K)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$6,049	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$64,379	81.4% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$59,406	÷ (108.4 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Washington levies no state income tax on wages, which is worth roughly $3,954 a year for a Plumber at the BLS median compared with the national-average state burden (≈5%). After cost of living, real take-home is $59,406 — lower than the nominal after-tax figure because RPP exceeds 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. Washington sits at #7 on nominal pay and #11 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Washington falls 4 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Plumber make in Washington?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $79,070 for Plumbers in Washington as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $59,760 and the 75th-percentile is $106,100.
How many Plumbers does Washington employ?: BLS OES counts 12,210 Plumbers employed in Washington in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Where does Washington rank for Plumber pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Washington 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.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Washington?: 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 Washington.
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 Washington?: BLS does not split union from non-union compensation. In Washington, 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 Washington is predominantly non-union. UA Local hall job boards in Washington are the cleanest reference for current scale and benefit values.
How long is the Washington plumbing apprenticeship and what's the master plumber payback?: Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington 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.