Plumber salary in Columbia, SC
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Plumbers in the Columbia, SC area earn a median of $52,070 a year, or $25.04 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $75,570. Statewide, plumbers earn a median of $53,940; Columbia is 3% below it.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $18.27/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 1,060
- After cost of living
- $55,590
- Median hourly pay
- $25.04/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −18%
- vs South Carolina median
- −3%
Apprentice, journeyman and master plumber pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $38,010–$46,400$18.27–$22.31/hr | |
| Journeyman | $52,070$25.04/hr | |
| Master / top earners | $64,280–$75,570$30.90–$36.33/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Columbia, SC compares
- Columbia ranks 7th of 10 South Carolina metro areas for plumber pay.
- Plumbers are less concentrated in the Columbia area than nationally: 2.7 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.90 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $75,570, is 2.0 times the 10th-percentile wage, $38,010: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other South Carolina metro areas
Other trades in Columbia, SC
Questions
- How much do plumbers make in Columbia, SC?
- Plumbers in the Columbia, SC area earn a median of $52,070 a year, or $25.04 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $75,570.
- How much do plumbers make an hour in Columbia, SC?
- The median hourly wage is $25.04. The middle half earn between $22.31 and $30.90 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice plumbers make in Columbia, SC?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.27 an hour ($38,010 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.31.
- How much does a journeyman plumber make in Columbia, SC?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $52,070 a year ($25.04 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $64,280–$75,570.
- Do plumbers make more in Columbia or Charlotte?
- Charlotte pays more: the median is $52,070 in Columbia and $58,690 in Charlotte, a 11% difference.
- How does Columbia pay compare with the rest of South Carolina?
- The Columbia median of $52,070 is 3% less than the South Carolina median of $53,940.
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 17900 (Columbia, SC). 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 (93.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures