Plumber salary in Massachusetts
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Plumbers in Massachusetts earn a median of $93,880 a year, or $45.14 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $135,080. Massachusetts ranks 6th of 51 states and DC for plumber pay, at 47% more than the U.S. median of $63,800.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $25.01/hr
- Jobs in Massachusetts
- 13,460
- After cost of living
- $88,770
- Median hourly pay
- $45.14/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +47%
- Rank among states
- 6th of 51
Apprentice, journeyman and master plumber pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $52,010–$61,860$25.01–$29.74/hr | |
| Journeyman | $93,880$45.14/hr | |
| Master / top earners | $108,430–$135,080$52.13–$64.94/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Massachusetts compares
- Plumbers are more concentrated in Massachusetts than nationally: 3.7 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.2 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $135,080, is 2.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $52,010: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Pay by metro area
Rural Massachusetts
- Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area$76,160
Other trades in Massachusetts
Questions
- How much do plumbers make in Massachusetts?
- Plumbers in Massachusetts earn a median of $93,880 a year, or $45.14 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $135,080.
- How much do plumbers make an hour in Massachusetts?
- The median hourly wage is $45.14. The middle half earn between $29.74 and $52.13 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice plumbers make in Massachusetts?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $25.01 an hour ($52,010 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.74.
- How much does a journeyman plumber make in Massachusetts?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $93,880 a year ($45.14 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $108,430–$135,080.
- Where in Massachusetts do plumbers earn the most?
- Among Massachusetts metro areas, Boston–Cambridge–Newton has the highest median at $96,760 a year, and Barnstable Town the lowest at $76,270.
- Do plumbers in Massachusetts earn more than the national average?
- The Massachusetts median of $93,880 is 47% more than the U.S. median of $63,800. Prices in Massachusetts run 6% above the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $88,770 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 25. 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 (105.8, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures