Plumber salary in El Centro, CA
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Plumbers in the El Centro, CA area earn a median of $62,390 a year, or $30.00 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $96,180 a year. Across all of California, the median is $72,830, so El Centro pays 14% less than the state as a whole.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $22.58/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 150
- After cost of living
- $65,550
- Median hourly pay
- $30.00/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −2%
- vs California median
- −14%
Apprentice, journeyman and master plumber pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $46,970–$51,540$22.58–$24.78/hr | |
| Journeyman | $62,390$30.00/hr | |
| Master / top earners | $77,540–$96,180$37.28–$46.24/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How El Centro, CA compares
- El Centro ranks 18th of 25 California metro areas for plumber pay.
- Plumbers are less concentrated in the El Centro area than nationally: 2.3 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.77 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $96,180, is 2.0 times the 10th-percentile wage, $46,970: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other California metro areas
Other trades in El Centro, CA
Questions
- How much do plumbers make in El Centro, CA?
- Plumbers in the El Centro, CA area earn a median of $62,390 a year, or $30.00 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $96,180 a year.
- How much do plumbers make an hour in El Centro, CA?
- The median hourly wage is $30.00. The middle half earn between $24.78 and $37.28 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice plumbers make in El Centro, CA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.58 an hour ($46,970 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.78.
- How much does a journeyman plumber make in El Centro, CA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $62,390 a year ($30.00 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $77,540–$96,180.
- Do plumbers make more in El Centro or San Jose?
- San Jose pays more: the median is $62,390 in El Centro and $107,560 in San Jose, a 42% difference.
- How does El Centro pay compare with the rest of California?
- The El Centro median of $62,390 is 14% 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 20940 (El Centro, 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 (95.2, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures