Plumber salary in Wilmington, NC
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Plumbers in the Wilmington, NC area earn a median of $56,390 a year, or $27.11 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $76,600 a year. Statewide, plumbers earn a median of $57,080; Wilmington is 1% below it.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $18.79/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 690
- After cost of living
- $58,480
- Median hourly pay
- $27.11/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −12%
- vs North Carolina median
- −1%
Apprentice, journeyman and master plumber pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $39,090–$46,370$18.79–$22.29/hr | |
| Journeyman | $56,390$27.11/hr | |
| Master / top earners | $62,610–$76,600$30.10–$36.83/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Wilmington, NC compares
- Wilmington ranks 9th of 16 North Carolina metro areas for plumber pay.
- Plumbers are more concentrated in the Wilmington area than nationally: 3.6 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.2 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $76,600, is 2.0 times the 10th-percentile wage, $39,090: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other North Carolina metro areas
Other trades in Wilmington, NC
Questions
- How much do plumbers make in Wilmington, NC?
- Plumbers in the Wilmington, NC area earn a median of $56,390 a year, or $27.11 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $76,600 a year.
- How much do plumbers make an hour in Wilmington, NC?
- The median hourly wage is $27.11. The middle half earn between $22.29 and $30.10 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice plumbers make in Wilmington, NC?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.79 an hour ($39,090 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.29.
- How much does a journeyman plumber make in Wilmington, NC?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $56,390 a year ($27.11 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $62,610–$76,600.
- Do plumbers make more in Wilmington or Virginia Beach?
- Virginia Beach pays more: the median is $56,390 in Wilmington and $61,870 in Virginia Beach, a 9% difference.
- How does Wilmington pay compare with the rest of North Carolina?
- The Wilmington median of $56,390 is 1% less than the North Carolina median of $57,080.
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 48900 (Wilmington, NC). 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 (96.4, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures