Plumber salary in the District of Columbia
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Plumbers in the District of Columbia earn a median of $101,020 a year, or $48.57 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $117,180 a year. That's 58% more than the national median of $63,800, 1st of 51 states and DC.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $25.15/hr
- Jobs in the District of Columbia
- 1,010
- After cost of living
- $91,920
- Median hourly pay
- $48.57/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +58%
- Rank among states
- 1st of 51
Apprentice, journeyman and master plumber pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $52,310–$74,630$25.15–$35.88/hr | |
| Journeyman | $101,020$48.57/hr | |
| Master / top earners | $114,400–$117,180$55.00–$56.34/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How the District of Columbia compares
- Plumbers are less concentrated in the District of Columbia than nationally: 1.4 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.48 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $117,180, is 2.2 times the 10th-percentile wage, $52,310: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Pay by metro area
Other trades in the District of Columbia
Questions
- How much do plumbers make in the District of Columbia?
- Plumbers in the District of Columbia earn a median of $101,020 a year, or $48.57 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $117,180 a year.
- How much do plumbers make an hour in the District of Columbia?
- The median hourly wage is $48.57. The middle half earn between $35.88 and $55.00 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice plumbers make in the District of Columbia?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $25.15 an hour ($52,310 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $35.88.
- How much does a journeyman plumber make in the District of Columbia?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $101,020 a year ($48.57 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $114,400–$117,180.
- Do plumbers in the District of Columbia earn more than the national average?
- The District of Columbia median of $101,020 is 58% more than the U.S. median of $63,800. Prices in the District of Columbia run 10% above the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $91,920 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 11. 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 (109.9, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures