Plumber salary in Eau Claire, WI
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Plumbers in the Eau Claire, WI area earn a median of $92,720 a year, or $44.58 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $103,150 a year. Statewide, plumbers earn a median of $81,210; Eau Claire is 14% above it.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $24.64/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 210
- After cost of living
- $99,920
- Median hourly pay
- $44.58/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +45%
- vs Wisconsin median
- +14%
Apprentice, journeyman and master plumber pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $51,240–$63,690$24.64–$30.62/hr | |
| Journeyman | $92,720$44.58/hr | |
| Master / top earners | $100,330–$103,150$48.23–$49.59/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Eau Claire, WI compares
- Eau Claire ranks 2nd of 15 Wisconsin metro areas for plumber pay.
- Plumbers are less concentrated in the Eau Claire area than nationally: 2.4 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.81 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $103,150, is 2.0 times the 10th-percentile wage, $51,240: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Wisconsin metro areas
Other trades in Eau Claire, WI
Questions
- How much do plumbers make in Eau Claire, WI?
- Plumbers in the Eau Claire, WI area earn a median of $92,720 a year, or $44.58 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $103,150 a year.
- How much do plumbers make an hour in Eau Claire, WI?
- The median hourly wage is $44.58. The middle half earn between $30.62 and $48.23 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice plumbers make in Eau Claire, WI?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $24.64 an hour ($51,240 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $30.62.
- How much does a journeyman plumber make in Eau Claire, WI?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $92,720 a year ($44.58 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $100,330–$103,150.
- Do plumbers make more in Eau Claire or Minneapolis?
- Minneapolis pays more: the median is $92,720 in Eau Claire and $101,630 in Minneapolis, a 9% difference.
- How does Eau Claire pay compare with the rest of Wisconsin?
- The Eau Claire median of $92,720 is 14% more than the Wisconsin median of $81,210.
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 20740 (Eau Claire, WI). 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 (92.8, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures