Trades · Rankings

Best US Cities for Plumbers

Top US cities for Plumbers ranked by estimated median salary, with cost-of-living-adjusted earning power.

Top 10 cities by salary

#	City	Estimated salary	Cost mult.	vs national
1	Oakland, CA	$84,200	1.35×	+$23,200
2	San Francisco, CA	$80,200	1.45×	+$19,200
3	Long Beach, CA	$76,300	1.18×	+$15,300
4	New York City, NY	$74,700	1.32×	+$13,700
5	Los Angeles, CA	$74,600	1.22×	+$13,600
6	Honolulu, HI	$73,800	1.30×	+$12,800
7	Irvine, CA	$73,800	1.30×	+$12,800
8	Anchorage, AK	$73,700	1.20×	+$12,700
9	Seattle, WA	$72,800	1.18×	+$11,800
10	Anaheim, CA	$72,800	1.18×	+$11,800

All 50 cities, ranked

#	City	Salary	Hourly
1	Oakland, CA	$84,200	$40/hr
2	San Francisco, CA	$80,200	$39/hr
3	Long Beach, CA	$76,300	$37/hr
4	New York City, NY	$74,700	$36/hr
5	Los Angeles, CA	$74,600	$36/hr
6	Honolulu, HI	$73,800	$35/hr
7	Irvine, CA	$73,800	$35/hr
8	Anchorage, AK	$73,700	$35/hr
9	Seattle, WA	$72,800	$35/hr
10	Anaheim, CA	$72,800	$35/hr
11	Newark, NJ	$72,500	$35/hr
12	Boston, MA	$70,400	$34/hr
13	Chicago, IL	$70,000	$34/hr
14	San Diego, CA	$70,000	$34/hr
15	Baltimore, MD	$70,000	$34/hr
16	Hialeah, FL	$70,000	$34/hr
17	Las Vegas, NV	$69,600	$33/hr
18	Yonkers, NY	$69,500	$33/hr
19	Portland, OR	$69,200	$33/hr
20	Riverside, CA	$69,200	$33/hr
21	Tampa, FL	$68,700	$33/hr
22	Reno, NV	$68,700	$33/hr
23	Scottsdale, AZ	$68,700	$33/hr
24	Charleston, SC	$68,700	$33/hr
25	Denver, CO	$68,300	$33/hr
26	North Las Vegas, NV	$67,700	$33/hr
27	Chula Vista, CA	$67,400	$32/hr
28	Stockton, CA	$66,900	$32/hr
29	Aurora, CO	$66,900	$32/hr
30	Frisco, TX	$66,900	$32/hr
31	Norfolk, VA	$66,700	$32/hr
32	Jacksonville, FL	$66,300	$32/hr
33	Charlotte, NC	$66,300	$32/hr
34	Miami, FL	$66,100	$32/hr
35	Houston, TX	$65,800	$32/hr
36	Fort Worth, TX	$65,800	$32/hr
37	Glendale, AZ	$65,800	$32/hr
38	Garland, TX	$65,800	$32/hr
39	Spokane, WA	$65,800	$32/hr
40	Atlanta, GA	$65,600	$32/hr
41	Henderson, NV	$65,600	$32/hr
42	Arlington, TX	$65,400	$31/hr
43	Sacramento, CA	$65,300	$31/hr
44	Virginia Beach, VA	$64,700	$31/hr
45	Chesapeake, VA	$64,700	$31/hr
46	Boise, ID	$64,700	$31/hr
47	Fresno, CA	$64,700	$31/hr
48	Dallas, TX	$64,200	$31/hr
49	Nashville, TN	$64,200	$31/hr
50	Bakersfield, CA	$64,200	$31/hr
51	Corpus Christi, TX	$63,900	$31/hr
52	Greensboro, NC	$63,900	$31/hr
53	El Paso, TX	$63,500	$31/hr
54	Mesa, AZ	$63,300	$30/hr
55	Austin, TX	$63,100	$30/hr
56	Indianapolis, IN	$62,900	$30/hr
57	Louisville, KY	$62,900	$30/hr
58	Minneapolis, MN	$62,700	$30/hr
59	Plano, TX	$62,700	$30/hr
60	Chandler, AZ	$62,700	$30/hr
61	Phoenix, AZ	$61,900	$30/hr
62	Philadelphia, PA	$61,900	$30/hr
63	Milwaukee, WI	$61,900	$30/hr
64	Albuquerque, NM	$61,900	$30/hr
65	New Orleans, LA	$61,900	$30/hr
66	Gilbert, AZ	$61,900	$30/hr
67	Salt Lake City, UT	$61,900	$30/hr
68	Grand Rapids, MI	$61,500	$30/hr
69	Orlando, FL	$61,400	$30/hr
70	Columbus, OH	$61,100	$29/hr
71	Detroit, MI	$61,100	$29/hr
72	Cincinnati, OH	$61,100	$29/hr
73	Kansas City, MO	$61,100	$29/hr
74	Lexington, KY	$61,100	$29/hr
75	Fort Wayne, IN	$61,100	$29/hr
76	Knoxville, TN	$61,100	$29/hr
77	Wilmington, DE	$61,000	$29/hr
78	Raleigh, NC	$61,000	$29/hr
79	St. Paul, MN	$61,000	$29/hr
80	Worcester, MA	$61,000	$29/hr
81	Cleveland, OH	$60,600	$29/hr
82	St. Louis, MO	$60,600	$29/hr
83	Colorado Springs, CO	$60,600	$29/hr
84	St. Petersburg, FL	$60,600	$29/hr
85	Madison, WI	$60,600	$29/hr
86	Omaha, NE	$60,100	$29/hr
87	Memphis, TN	$59,700	$29/hr
88	Oklahoma City, OK	$59,700	$29/hr
89	Tucson, AZ	$59,300	$29/hr
90	Birmingham, AL	$59,300	$29/hr
91	Toledo, OH	$59,300	$29/hr
92	Lubbock, TX	$59,300	$29/hr
93	Pittsburgh, PA	$58,900	$28/hr
94	Tallahassee, FL	$58,900	$28/hr
95	Wichita, KS	$58,300	$28/hr
96	Mobile, AL	$58,300	$28/hr
97	San Antonio, TX	$58,000	$28/hr
98	Buffalo, NY	$57,600	$28/hr
99	Winston-Salem, NC	$57,200	$28/hr
100	Lincoln, NE	$56,300	$27/hr

Does location actually decide Plumber pay?

This is a career where location is not negotiable — the work has to be done on site. That makes the 50% gap across these metros consequential in a way it is not for desk-based occupations: capturing the top of this list means moving to it.

Worth checking before you plan around these numbers: Plumber needs State/local plumbing license required after apprenticeship, and reciprocity between states varies from automatic to nonexistent. The higher-paying metro is only worth what you can actually earn there after re-credentialing.

Highest-paying is not the same as best-off

The number that ranks these metros is not the number you live on. In Oakland, $84,200 against $2,100/month rent leaves roughly $59,000 a year after housing. In Lincoln, $56,300 against $950 leaves about $44,900. The top still wins after rent, but by $14,100 rather than the $27,900 the headline suggests.

Why these metros and not others

The metros at the top are not simply the expensive ones; they are where the hiring is. Oakland (Kaiser Permanente (HQ), Port of Oakland); San Francisco (Salesforce, Google); Long Beach (Port of Long Beach, Long Beach Memorial Medical Center). Depth of demand for trades work is what lifts pay above the local baseline, and it is why two equally costly cities can pay this role differently.

Salaries are modelled from BLS national medians adjusted for local price level at a wage elasticity below 1 — pay rises with local costs but not proportionally. See our methodology.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which city pays Plumbers the most?▾

Oakland, at roughly $84,200. Rent there averages $2,100 a month for a one-bedroom, so about $25,200 of that salary goes to housing before anything else. The metros near the top combine high local costs with concentrated trades employment — the second part is what actually lifts pay above the local baseline.

Should I move to the top-paying metro?▾

It depends what you keep, not what you earn. High-cost metros pay more but not proportionally more — that gap is exactly why the adjusted ranking reorders this list.

Can a Plumber work remotely from a cheaper city?▾

Largely no — the work has to be done on site. For this occupation the metro you live in and the metro that pays you are the same, which makes the ranking above a genuine relocation decision rather than something you can arbitrage.

Do I need a new license to work as a Plumber in another state?▾

Often yes. Plumber requires State/local plumbing license required after apprenticeship, issued state by state. Some states have reciprocity agreements that make the transfer routine; others require re-examination. Confirm with the destination board before treating a higher-paying metro as reachable.