Plumber salary in Birmingham, AL
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Plumbers in the Birmingham, AL area earn a median of $60,090 a year, or $28.89 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $76,290. Across all of Alabama, the median is $58,670, so Birmingham pays 2% more than the state as a whole.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $18.57/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 1,840
- After cost of living
- $65,570
- Median hourly pay
- $28.89/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −6%
- vs Alabama median
- +2%
Apprentice, journeyman and master plumber pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $38,620–$49,240$18.57–$23.67/hr | |
| Journeyman | $60,090$28.89/hr | |
| Master / top earners | $64,450–$76,290$30.98–$36.68/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Birmingham, AL compares
- Birmingham ranks 2nd of 13 Alabama metro areas for plumber pay.
- Plumbers are more concentrated in the Birmingham area than nationally: 3.5 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.2 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $76,290, is 2.0 times the 10th-percentile wage, $38,620: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Alabama metro areas
Other trades in Birmingham, AL
Questions
- How much do plumbers make in Birmingham, AL?
- Plumbers in the Birmingham, AL area earn a median of $60,090 a year, or $28.89 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $76,290.
- How much do plumbers make an hour in Birmingham, AL?
- The median hourly wage is $28.89. The middle half earn between $23.67 and $30.98 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice plumbers make in Birmingham, AL?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.57 an hour ($38,620 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.67.
- How much does a journeyman plumber make in Birmingham, AL?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $60,090 a year ($28.89 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $64,450–$76,290.
- Do plumbers make more in Birmingham or Florence?
- Florence pays more: the median is $60,090 in Birmingham and $60,590 in Florence, a 1% difference.
- How does Birmingham pay compare with the rest of Alabama?
- The Birmingham median of $60,090 is 2% more than the Alabama median of $58,670.
About this data
Wages are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, occupation 47-2152 (Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters), area code 13820 (Birmingham, AL). BLS counts wage and salary workers only, so self-employed plumbers and business owners aren't included. The cost-of-living figure divides the median by the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity for 2024 (91.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures