Plumber salary in Chico, CA
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Plumbers in the Chico, CA area earn a median of $60,730 a year, or $29.20 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $99,530. Statewide, plumbers earn a median of $72,830; Chico is 17% below it.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $22.68/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 180
- After cost of living
- $60,010
- Median hourly pay
- $29.20/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −5%
- vs California median
- −17%
Apprentice, journeyman and master plumber pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $47,180–$50,050$22.68–$24.06/hr | |
| Journeyman | $60,730$29.20/hr | |
| Master / top earners | $81,710–$99,530$39.29–$47.85/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Chico, CA compares
- Chico ranks 23rd of 25 California metro areas for plumber pay.
- Plumbers are less concentrated in the Chico area than nationally: 2.3 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.77 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $99,530, is 2.1 times the 10th-percentile wage, $47,180: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other California metro areas
Other trades in Chico, CA
Questions
- How much do plumbers make in Chico, CA?
- Plumbers in the Chico, CA area earn a median of $60,730 a year, or $29.20 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $99,530.
- How much do plumbers make an hour in Chico, CA?
- The median hourly wage is $29.20. The middle half earn between $24.06 and $39.29 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice plumbers make in Chico, CA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.68 an hour ($47,180 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.06.
- How much does a journeyman plumber make in Chico, CA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $60,730 a year ($29.20 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $81,710–$99,530.
- Do plumbers make more in Chico or San Jose?
- San Jose pays more: the median is $60,730 in Chico and $107,560 in San Jose, a 44% difference.
- How does Chico pay compare with the rest of California?
- The Chico median of $60,730 is 17% less than the California median of $72,830.
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 17020 (Chico, CA). 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 (101.2, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures