Plumber salary in Rockford, IL
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Plumbers in the Rockford, IL area earn a median of $94,230 a year, or $45.31 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $120,140 a year. Statewide, plumbers earn a median of $99,950; Rockford is 6% below it.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $24.48/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 440
- After cost of living
- $102,250
- Median hourly pay
- $45.31/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +48%
- vs Illinois median
- −6%
Apprentice, journeyman and master plumber pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $50,930–$64,060$24.48–$30.80/hr | |
| Journeyman | $94,230$45.31/hr | |
| Master / top earners | $118,370–$120,140$56.91–$57.76/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Rockford, IL compares
- Rockford ranks 4th of 12 Illinois metro areas for plumber pay.
- Plumbers hold about the same share of jobs in the Rockford area as nationally: 3.2 of every 1,000 jobs.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $120,140, is 2.4 times the 10th-percentile wage, $50,930: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Illinois metro areas
Other trades in Rockford, IL
Questions
- How much do plumbers make in Rockford, IL?
- Plumbers in the Rockford, IL area earn a median of $94,230 a year, or $45.31 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $120,140 a year.
- How much do plumbers make an hour in Rockford, IL?
- The median hourly wage is $45.31. The middle half earn between $30.80 and $56.91 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice plumbers make in Rockford, IL?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $24.48 an hour ($50,930 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $30.80.
- How much does a journeyman plumber make in Rockford, IL?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $94,230 a year ($45.31 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $118,370–$120,140.
- Do plumbers make more in Rockford or Chicago?
- Chicago pays more: the median is $94,230 in Rockford and $103,380 in Chicago, a 9% difference.
- How does Rockford pay compare with the rest of Illinois?
- The Rockford median of $94,230 is 6% less than the Illinois median of $99,950.
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 40420 (Rockford, IL). 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 (92.2, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures