Plumber salary in Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Plumbers in the Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area earn a median of $74,860 a year, or $35.99 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $142,210 a year. Statewide, plumbers earn a median of $68,080; Philadelphia is 10% above it.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $23.27/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 7,150
- After cost of living
- $73,000
- Median hourly pay
- $35.99/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +17%
- vs Pennsylvania median
- +10%
Apprentice, journeyman and master plumber pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $48,400–$60,900$23.27–$29.28/hr | |
| Journeyman | $74,860$35.99/hr | |
| Master / top earners | $103,770–$142,210$49.89–$68.37/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD compares
- Philadelphia has the highest plumber median of the 16 Pennsylvania metro areas with published pay.
- Plumbers are less concentrated in the Philadelphia area than nationally: 2.5 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.82 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $142,210, is 2.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $48,400: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Pennsylvania metro areas
Other trades in Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD
Questions
- How much do plumbers make in Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
- Plumbers in the Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area earn a median of $74,860 a year, or $35.99 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $142,210 a year.
- How much do plumbers make an hour in Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
- The median hourly wage is $35.99. The middle half earn between $29.28 and $49.89 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice plumbers make in Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.27 an hour ($48,400 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.28.
- How much does a journeyman plumber make in Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $74,860 a year ($35.99 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $103,770–$142,210.
- Do plumbers make more in Philadelphia or Harrisburg?
- Philadelphia pays more: the median is $74,860 in Philadelphia and $73,560 in Harrisburg, a 2% difference.
- How does Philadelphia pay compare with the rest of Pennsylvania?
- The Philadelphia median of $74,860 is 10% more 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 37980 (Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD). 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 (102.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures