Plumber salary in Bay City, MI
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Plumbers in the Bay City, MI area earn a median of $74,490 a year, or $35.81 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $106,870. That's 7% less than the Michigan median of $80,190.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $18.77/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 110
- After cost of living
- $81,040
- Median hourly pay
- $35.81/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +17%
- vs Michigan median
- −7%
Apprentice, journeyman and master plumber pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $39,040–$49,400$18.77–$23.75/hr | |
| Journeyman | $74,490$35.81/hr | |
| Master / top earners | $92,480–$106,870$44.46–$51.38/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Bay City, MI compares
- Bay City ranks 11th of 16 Michigan metro areas for plumber pay.
- Plumbers hold about the same share of jobs in the Bay City area as nationally: 3.2 of every 1,000 jobs.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $106,870, is 2.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $39,040: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Michigan metro areas
Other trades in Bay City, MI
Questions
- How much do plumbers make in Bay City, MI?
- Plumbers in the Bay City, MI area earn a median of $74,490 a year, or $35.81 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $106,870.
- How much do plumbers make an hour in Bay City, MI?
- The median hourly wage is $35.81. The middle half earn between $23.75 and $44.46 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice plumbers make in Bay City, MI?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.77 an hour ($39,040 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.75.
- How much does a journeyman plumber make in Bay City, MI?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $74,490 a year ($35.81 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $92,480–$106,870.
- Do plumbers make more in Bay City or Kalamazoo?
- Kalamazoo pays more: the median is $74,490 in Bay City and $90,730 in Kalamazoo, a 18% difference.
- How does Bay City pay compare with the rest of Michigan?
- The Bay City median of $74,490 is 7% less than the Michigan median of $80,190.
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 13020 (Bay City, MI). 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 (91.9, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures