Plumber salary in California
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Plumbers in California earn a median of $72,830 a year, or $35.01 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $131,100 a year. That's 14% more than the national median of $63,800, 17th of 51 states and DC.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $22.76/hr
- Jobs in California
- 47,660
- After cost of living
- $65,780
- Median hourly pay
- $35.01/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +14%
- Rank among states
- 17th of 51
Apprentice, journeyman and master plumber pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $47,350–$58,980$22.76–$28.36/hr | |
| Journeyman | $72,830$35.01/hr | |
| Master / top earners | $100,200–$131,100$48.17–$63.03/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How California compares
- Plumbers are less concentrated in California than nationally: 2.6 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.87 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $131,100, is 2.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $47,350: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Pay by metro area
- San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara$107,560
- San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont$77,880
- San Diego–Chula Vista–Carlsbad$72,510
- Vallejo$71,560
- Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim$71,110
- Santa Cruz–Watsonville$68,130
- Bakersfield–Delano$66,450
- Napa$65,420
See all California metro areas
- Sacramento–Roseville–Folsom$65,210
- Santa Rosa–Petaluma$64,700
- Salinas$64,440
- Fresno$64,400
- Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario$63,920
- Modesto$63,280
- San Luis Obispo–Paso Robles$63,090
- Stockton–Lodi$62,900
- Hanford–Corcoran$62,860
- El Centro$62,390
- Oxnard–Thousand Oaks–Ventura$62,300
- Redding$61,300
- Yuba City$61,120
- Santa Maria–Santa Barbara$61,000
- Chico$60,730
- Visalia$60,720
- Merced$60,230
Rural California
- North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area$72,760
- North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area$70,770
- Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area$64,260
Other trades in California
Questions
- How much do plumbers make in California?
- Plumbers in California earn a median of $72,830 a year, or $35.01 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $131,100 a year.
- How much do plumbers make an hour in California?
- The median hourly wage is $35.01. The middle half earn between $28.36 and $48.17 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice plumbers make in California?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.76 an hour ($47,350 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $28.36.
- How much does a journeyman plumber make in California?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $72,830 a year ($35.01 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $100,200–$131,100.
- Where in California do plumbers earn the most?
- Among California metro areas, San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara has the highest median at $107,560 a year, and Merced the lowest at $60,230.
- Do plumbers in California earn more than the national average?
- The California median of $72,830 is 14% more than the U.S. median of $63,800. Prices in California run 11% above the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $65,780 would nationally.
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 06. 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 (110.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures