Plumber salary in Altoona, PA
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Plumbers in the Altoona, PA area earn a median of $61,430 a year, or $29.53 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $80,700. That's 10% less than the Pennsylvania median of $68,080.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $19.28/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 80
- After cost of living
- $68,630
- Median hourly pay
- $29.53/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −4%
- vs Pennsylvania median
- −10%
Apprentice, journeyman and master plumber pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $40,100–$49,530$19.28–$23.81/hr | |
| Journeyman | $61,430$29.53/hr | |
| Master / top earners | $75,730–$80,700$36.41–$38.80/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Altoona, PA compares
- Altoona ranks 11th of 16 Pennsylvania metro areas for plumber pay.
- Plumbers are less concentrated in the Altoona area than nationally: 1.3 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.45 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $80,700, is 2.0 times the 10th-percentile wage, $40,100: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Pennsylvania metro areas
Other trades in Altoona, PA
Questions
- How much do plumbers make in Altoona, PA?
- Plumbers in the Altoona, PA area earn a median of $61,430 a year, or $29.53 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $80,700.
- How much do plumbers make an hour in Altoona, PA?
- The median hourly wage is $29.53. The middle half earn between $23.81 and $36.41 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice plumbers make in Altoona, PA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.28 an hour ($40,100 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.81.
- How much does a journeyman plumber make in Altoona, PA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $61,430 a year ($29.53 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $75,730–$80,700.
- Do plumbers make more in Altoona or Philadelphia?
- Philadelphia pays more: the median is $61,430 in Altoona and $74,860 in Philadelphia, a 18% difference.
- How does Altoona pay compare with the rest of Pennsylvania?
- The Altoona median of $61,430 is 10% 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 11020 (Altoona, PA). 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 (89.5, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures