Plumber salary in Buffalo, NY
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Plumbers in the Buffalo–Cheektowaga, NY area earn a median of $72,230 a year, or $34.73 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $104,040 a year. That's 7% less than the New York median of $77,490.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $19.38/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 1,430
- After cost of living
- $75,360
- Median hourly pay
- $34.73/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +13%
- vs New York median
- −7%
Apprentice, journeyman and master plumber pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $40,300–$51,310$19.38–$24.67/hr | |
| Journeyman | $72,230$34.73/hr | |
| Master / top earners | $93,690–$104,040$45.04–$50.02/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Buffalo, NY compares
- Buffalo ranks 7th of 13 New York metro areas for plumber pay.
- Plumbers are less concentrated in the Buffalo area than nationally: 2.7 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.89 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $104,040, is 2.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $40,300: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other New York metro areas
Other trades in Buffalo, NY
Questions
- How much do plumbers make in Buffalo, NY?
- Plumbers in the Buffalo–Cheektowaga, NY area earn a median of $72,230 a year, or $34.73 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $104,040 a year.
- How much do plumbers make an hour in Buffalo, NY?
- The median hourly wage is $34.73. The middle half earn between $24.67 and $45.04 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice plumbers make in Buffalo, NY?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.38 an hour ($40,300 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.67.
- How much does a journeyman plumber make in Buffalo, NY?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $72,230 a year ($34.73 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $93,690–$104,040.
- Do plumbers make more in Buffalo or New York?
- New York pays more: the median is $72,230 in Buffalo and $78,610 in New York, a 8% difference.
- How does Buffalo pay compare with the rest of New York?
- The Buffalo median of $72,230 is 7% less than the New York median of $77,490.
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 15380 (Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY). 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 (95.8, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures