Plumber salary in Portland, ME
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Plumbers in the Portland–South Portland, ME area earn a median of $64,500 a year, or $31.01 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $81,130. Across all of Maine, the median is $64,000, so Portland pays 1% more than the state as a whole.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $24.00/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 1,740
- After cost of living
- $63,320
- Median hourly pay
- $31.01/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +1%
- vs Maine median
- +1%
Apprentice, journeyman and master plumber pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $49,920–$63,450$24.00–$30.51/hr | |
| Journeyman | $64,500$31.01/hr | |
| Master / top earners | $76,890–$81,130$36.97–$39.00/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Portland, ME compares
- Portland has the highest plumber median of the 3 Maine metro areas with published pay.
- Plumbers are more concentrated in the Portland area than nationally: 6.0 of every 1,000 jobs, 2.0 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $81,130, is 1.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $49,920: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Maine metro areas
Other trades in Portland, ME
Questions
- How much do plumbers make in Portland, ME?
- Plumbers in the Portland–South Portland, ME area earn a median of $64,500 a year, or $31.01 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $81,130.
- How much do plumbers make an hour in Portland, ME?
- The median hourly wage is $31.01. The middle half earn between $30.51 and $36.97 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice plumbers make in Portland, ME?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $24.00 an hour ($49,920 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $30.51.
- How much does a journeyman plumber make in Portland, ME?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $64,500 a year ($31.01 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $76,890–$81,130.
- Do plumbers make more in Portland or Lewiston?
- Portland pays more: the median is $64,500 in Portland and $62,140 in Lewiston, a 4% difference.
- How does Portland pay compare with the rest of Maine?
- The Portland median of $64,500 is 1% more than the Maine median of $64,000.
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 38860 (Portland-South Portland, ME). 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 (101.9, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures