Plumber salary in Milwaukee, WI
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Plumbers in the Milwaukee–Waukesha, WI area earn a median of $84,700 a year, or $40.72 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $124,470. Across all of Wisconsin, the median is $81,210, so Milwaukee pays 4% more than the state as a whole.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $27.18/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 2,760
- After cost of living
- $87,380
- Median hourly pay
- $40.72/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +33%
- vs Wisconsin median
- +4%
Apprentice, journeyman and master plumber pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $56,520–$62,350$27.18–$29.98/hr | |
| Journeyman | $84,700$40.72/hr | |
| Master / top earners | $108,000–$124,470$51.92–$59.84/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Milwaukee, WI compares
- Milwaukee ranks 10th of 15 Wisconsin metro areas for plumber pay.
- Plumbers are more concentrated in the Milwaukee area than nationally: 3.4 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.1 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $124,470, is 2.2 times the 10th-percentile wage, $56,520: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Wisconsin metro areas
Other trades in Milwaukee, WI
Questions
- How much do plumbers make in Milwaukee, WI?
- Plumbers in the Milwaukee–Waukesha, WI area earn a median of $84,700 a year, or $40.72 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $124,470.
- How much do plumbers make an hour in Milwaukee, WI?
- The median hourly wage is $40.72. The middle half earn between $29.98 and $51.92 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice plumbers make in Milwaukee, WI?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $27.18 an hour ($56,520 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.98.
- How much does a journeyman plumber make in Milwaukee, WI?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $84,700 a year ($40.72 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $108,000–$124,470.
- Do plumbers make more in Milwaukee or Minneapolis?
- Minneapolis pays more: the median is $84,700 in Milwaukee and $101,630 in Minneapolis, a 17% difference.
- How does Milwaukee pay compare with the rest of Wisconsin?
- The Milwaukee median of $84,700 is 4% 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 33340 (Milwaukee-Waukesha, 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 (96.9, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures