TradeSalary

Plumber salary in Allentown, PA-NJ

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Plumbers in the Allentown–Bethlehem–Easton, PA-NJ area earn a median of $64,940 a year, or $31.22 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $138,040 a year. Across all of Pennsylvania, the median is $68,080, so Allentown pays 5% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$64,940
Bottom 10% under$46,460Top 10% over$138,040
Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
$22.34/hr
Jobs in this area
730
After cost of living
$64,960
Median hourly pay
$31.22/hr
vs U.S. median
+2%
vs Pennsylvania median
−5%
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 10900, Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ). Excludes self-employed plumbers. Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024. *Starting pay is estimated from the 10th percentile; BLS does not report pay by license level.

Apprentice, journeyman and master plumber pay

StageYearly payHourly pay
Apprentice$46,460–$50,770$22.34–$24.41/hr
Journeyman$64,940$31.22/hr
Master / top earners$82,380–$138,040$39.61–$66.36/hr

Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.

How Allentown, PA-NJ compares

  • Allentown ranks 6th of 16 Pennsylvania metro areas for plumber pay.
  • Plumbers are less concentrated in the Allentown area than nationally: 1.9 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.65 times the U.S. share.
  • The 90th-percentile wage, $138,040, is 3.0 times the 10th-percentile wage, $46,460: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Pennsylvania metro areas

Other trades in Allentown, PA-NJ

Questions

How much do plumbers make in Allentown, PA-NJ?
Plumbers in the Allentown–Bethlehem–Easton, PA-NJ area earn a median of $64,940 a year, or $31.22 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $138,040 a year.
How much do plumbers make an hour in Allentown, PA-NJ?
The median hourly wage is $31.22. The middle half earn between $24.41 and $39.61 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice plumbers make in Allentown, PA-NJ?
BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.34 an hour ($46,460 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.41.
How much does a journeyman plumber make in Allentown, PA-NJ?
BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $64,940 a year ($31.22 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $82,380–$138,040.
Do plumbers make more in Allentown or Philadelphia?
Philadelphia pays more: the median is $64,940 in Allentown and $74,860 in Philadelphia, a 13% difference.
How does Allentown pay compare with the rest of Pennsylvania?
The Allentown median of $64,940 is 5% less than the Pennsylvania median of $68,080.

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 10900 (Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ). 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 (100.0, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures