Plumber salary in Lincoln, NE
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Plumbers in the Lincoln, NE area earn a median of $60,670 a year, or $29.17 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $87,660. Across all of Nebraska, the median is $60,970, so Lincoln pays about the same as the state as a whole.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $19.53/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 650
- After cost of living
- $66,250
- Median hourly pay
- $29.17/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −5%
- vs Nebraska median
- 0%
Apprentice, journeyman and master plumber pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $40,620–$48,360$19.53–$23.25/hr | |
| Journeyman | $60,670$29.17/hr | |
| Master / top earners | $74,880–$87,660$36.00–$42.15/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Lincoln, NE compares
- Lincoln ranks 3rd of 4 Nebraska metro areas for plumber pay.
- Plumbers are more concentrated in the Lincoln area than nationally: 3.6 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.2 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $87,660, is 2.2 times the 10th-percentile wage, $40,620: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Nebraska metro areas
Other trades in Lincoln, NE
Questions
- How much do plumbers make in Lincoln, NE?
- Plumbers in the Lincoln, NE area earn a median of $60,670 a year, or $29.17 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $87,660.
- How much do plumbers make an hour in Lincoln, NE?
- The median hourly wage is $29.17. The middle half earn between $23.25 and $36.00 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice plumbers make in Lincoln, NE?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.53 an hour ($40,620 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.25.
- How much does a journeyman plumber make in Lincoln, NE?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $60,670 a year ($29.17 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $74,880–$87,660.
- Do plumbers make more in Lincoln or Omaha?
- Omaha pays more: the median is $60,670 in Lincoln and $63,400 in Omaha, a 4% difference.
- How does Lincoln pay compare with the rest of Nebraska?
- The Lincoln median of $60,670 is about the same as the Nebraska median of $60,970.
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 30700 (Lincoln, NE). 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 (91.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures