Plumber salary in Fresno, CA
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Plumbers in the Fresno, CA area earn a median of $64,400 a year, or $30.96 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $124,280. That's 12% less than the California median of $72,830.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $22.40/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 970
- After cost of living
- $63,040
- Median hourly pay
- $30.96/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +1%
- vs California median
- −12%
Apprentice, journeyman and master plumber pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $46,590–$51,300$22.40–$24.66/hr | |
| Journeyman | $64,400$30.96/hr | |
| Master / top earners | $93,310–$124,280$44.86–$59.75/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Fresno, CA compares
- Fresno ranks 12th of 25 California metro areas for plumber pay.
- Plumbers are less concentrated in the Fresno area than nationally: 2.0 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.68 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $124,280, is 2.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $46,590: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other California metro areas
Other trades in Fresno, CA
Questions
- How much do plumbers make in Fresno, CA?
- Plumbers in the Fresno, CA area earn a median of $64,400 a year, or $30.96 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $124,280.
- How much do plumbers make an hour in Fresno, CA?
- The median hourly wage is $30.96. The middle half earn between $24.66 and $44.86 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice plumbers make in Fresno, CA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.40 an hour ($46,590 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.66.
- How much does a journeyman plumber make in Fresno, CA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $64,400 a year ($30.96 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $93,310–$124,280.
- Do plumbers make more in Fresno or San Jose?
- San Jose pays more: the median is $64,400 in Fresno and $107,560 in San Jose, a 40% difference.
- How does Fresno pay compare with the rest of California?
- The Fresno median of $64,400 is 12% 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 23420 (Fresno, 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 (102.2, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures