Plumber salary in Bismarck, ND
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Plumbers in the Bismarck, ND area earn a median of $70,310 a year, or $33.81 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $94,940. Across all of North Dakota, the median is $63,560, so Bismarck pays 11% more than the state as a whole.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $22.52/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 220
- After cost of living
- $77,240
- Median hourly pay
- $33.81/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +10%
- vs North Dakota median
- +11%
Apprentice, journeyman and master plumber pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $46,830–$50,300$22.52–$24.18/hr | |
| Journeyman | $70,310$33.81/hr | |
| Master / top earners | $80,750–$94,940$38.82–$45.65/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Bismarck, ND compares
- Bismarck has the highest plumber median of the 4 North Dakota metro areas with published pay.
- Plumbers hold about the same share of jobs in the Bismarck area as nationally: 3.2 of every 1,000 jobs.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $94,940, is 2.0 times the 10th-percentile wage, $46,830: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other North Dakota metro areas
Other trades in Bismarck, ND
Questions
- How much do plumbers make in Bismarck, ND?
- Plumbers in the Bismarck, ND area earn a median of $70,310 a year, or $33.81 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $94,940.
- How much do plumbers make an hour in Bismarck, ND?
- The median hourly wage is $33.81. The middle half earn between $24.18 and $38.82 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice plumbers make in Bismarck, ND?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.52 an hour ($46,830 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.18.
- How much does a journeyman plumber make in Bismarck, ND?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $70,310 a year ($33.81 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $80,750–$94,940.
- Do plumbers make more in Bismarck or Fargo?
- Bismarck pays more: the median is $70,310 in Bismarck and $63,350 in Fargo, a 11% difference.
- How does Bismarck pay compare with the rest of North Dakota?
- The Bismarck median of $70,310 is 11% more than the North Dakota median of $63,560.
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 13900 (Bismarck, ND). 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 (91.0, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures