Do plumbers make more in York or Philadelphia?

Philadelphia pays more: the median is $70,100 in York and $74,860 in Philadelphia, a 6% difference.

Plumber salary in York, PA

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Plumbers in the York–Hanover, PA area earn a median of $70,100 a year, or $33.70 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $147,310. Across all of Pennsylvania, the median is $68,080, so York pays 3% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$70,100

Bottom 10% under$47,370Top 10% over$147,310

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $22.78/hr
Jobs in this area: 420
After cost of living: $73,020
Median hourly pay: $33.70/hr
vs U.S. median: +10%
vs Pennsylvania median: +3%
Mean (average) pay: $81,300 a year · $39.09 an hour

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 49620, York-Hanover, PA). 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.

Pay by percentile

What plumbers in York, PA earn at each point of the pay range, May 2025: 10% earn less than the 10th percentile, half earn less than the median, and 10% earn more than the 90th.

Percentile	Hourly	Yearly
10th percentile	$22.78	$47,370
25th percentile	$28.92	$60,150
Median (50th)	$33.70	$70,100
75th percentile	$47.68	$99,160
90th percentile	$70.82	$147,310

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. BLS yearly figures are the hourly wage times 2,080 hours.

How York, PA compares

York ranks 4th of 16 Pennsylvania metro areas for plumber pay.
Plumbers are less concentrated in the York area than nationally: 2.3 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.76 times the U.S. share.

Other Pennsylvania metro areas

Other trades in York, PA

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Lineman Diesel mechanic Carpenter Heavy equipment operator Auto mechanic Roofer Millwright

Questions

Do plumbers make more in York or Philadelphia?: Philadelphia pays more: the median is $70,100 in York and $74,860 in Philadelphia, a 6% difference.

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 49620 (York-Hanover, 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 (96.0, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures