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.

Plumber salary in Chico, CA

Updated September 27, 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.

Median yearly pay$60,730

Bottom 10% under$47,180Top 10% over$99,530

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%
Mean (average) pay: $68,360 a year · $32.86 an hour

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 17020, Chico, CA). Excludes self-employed plumbers. Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024. *Starting pay is estimated from the 10th percentile; BLS does not report pay by license level.

Pay by percentile

What plumbers in Chico, CA earn at each point of the pay range, May 2025: 10% earn less than the 10th percentile, half earn less than the median, and 10% earn more than the 90th.

Percentile	Hourly	Yearly
10th percentile	$22.68	$47,180
25th percentile	$24.06	$50,050
Median (50th)	$29.20	$60,730
75th percentile	$39.29	$81,710
90th percentile	$47.85	$99,530

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. BLS yearly figures are the hourly wage times 2,080 hours.

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.

Other California metro areas

Other trades in Chico, CA

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Diesel mechanic Carpenter Heavy equipment operator Auto mechanic Roofer Ironworker

Questions

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.

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 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures