Plumbers in the Montgomery area earn a median of $57,960 a year, 6% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #268 of 387 metros for plumber salaries across the U.S..
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, but less in Auburn.
It's one of 12 Alabama metros with published pay for this trade; see statewide plumber pay.
Plumber pay in Montgomery at a glance
- Plumbers in the Montgomery, AL metro earn a median $57,960 a year ($27.87 an hour), #268 of 387 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $37,280 and $74,100.
- After local prices, that median buys what $64,628 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,003 a month, 21% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
Check your pay here
Enter a rate to see where it falls among plumbers in Montgomery.
Comparing two real offers with overtime and commutes? Use the job offer checker. The median here works out to about $28 an hour in yearly terms.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for plumbers here is below average compared with other U.S. metros, and about average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is lower than in most metros (2.9%) and the population is growing slowly (+0.9% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 224 one-person plumbing & HVAC contracting businesses averaging $89,777 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $73/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
Montgomery scorecard for plumbers Our calculation
Grades compare Montgomery with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers. Grey line: typical U.S. metro ($61,430).
Pay over time
The median pay for plumbers in the Montgomery area went from $47,450 in 2020 to $57,960 in 2025, up 22.1%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -2.6% — a real pay cut.
BLS OEWS, May 2020–May 2025; inflation: CPI-U (May to May). Year-to-year changes can include survey noise.
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Montgomery Our calculation
Prices in the Montgomery area run 10% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $64,628 would in a typical place, ranking #204 of 383 on real pay.
Real pay or rent burden?
Real pay already accounts for housing, because the price index includes rent. Rent burden shows what share of pay a typical 1-bedroom takes. Use either one, not both together.
Want the full picture? Build a Montgomery budget on this pay from this pay, local rent and prices.
What plumbers do
Assemble, install, alter, and repair pipelines or pipe systems that carry water, steam, air, or other liquids or gases. May install heating and cooling equipment and mechanical control systems. Includes sprinkler fitters.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Shut off steam, water, or other gases or liquids from pipe sections, using valve keys or wrenches.
- Install underground storm, sanitary, or water piping systems, extending piping as needed to connect fixtures and plumbing.
- Assemble pipe sections, tubing, or fittings, using couplings, clamps, screws, bolts, cement, plastic solvent, caulking, or soldering, brazing, or welding equipment.
- Locate and mark the position of pipe installations, connections, passage holes, or fixtures in structures, using measuring instruments such as rulers or levels.
- Cut, thread, or hammer pipes to specifications, using tools such as saws, cutting torches, pipe threaders, or pipe benders.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, plumber jobs are projected to grow 6.8% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 42,000 openings a year. About 8% are self-employed.
What the work is like Government data
How often plumbers deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes medium preparation (vocational training or an apprenticeship, often 1–2+ years).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Getting started: registered apprenticeship Government data
Most plumbers train through a paid apprenticeship: you work and earn under experienced pros while taking classes, and pay usually rises as you progress. 727,586 people were active registered apprentices nationwide in FY2026, up 87% since FY2016, and construction is the largest field with 290,043 of them (40%), according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Search apprenticeship openings near Montgomery ↗Find training programs & sponsors ↗
Official U.S. Department of Labor tools at Apprenticeship.gov. Counts: DOL Apprentices by State dashboard, FY2026 (all occupations).
Licensing in Alabama Official source
The main state licensing office in Alabama is the Alabama Licensing Board for General Contractors. Electrical, HVAC and plumbing have their own state boards. It can point you to the right license for plumbers.
Official Alabama licensing site ↗
Requirements for plumbers vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, plumbers have 144 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 1.7× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is being struck by or caught in objects and equipment.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying AL metros for plumbers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| FlorenceALABAMA · AL | $60,590 | $71,436 | 340 |
| BirminghamALABAMA · AL | $60,090 | $65,569 | 1,840 |
| DecaturALABAMA · AL | $59,920 | $68,706 | 210 |
| TuscaloosaALABAMA · AL | $59,530 | $67,862 | 370 |
| MobileALABAMA · AL | $59,410 | $67,436 | 960 |
| MontgomeryALABAMA · AL | $57,960 | $64,628 | 340 |
| DaphneALABAMA · AL | $57,080 | $60,281 | 330 |
| HuntsvilleALABAMA · AL | $57,020 | $61,264 | 790 |
| AnnistonALABAMA · AL | $56,850 | $66,144 | 130 |
| AuburnALABAMA · AL | $51,570 | $58,647 | 200 |
See every metro in Alabama.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Montgomery area's unemployment rate was 2.9% in 2025 (all workers, not just plumbers), below the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 4.1% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Montgomery area is 25 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 11% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 83% drive alone, 0% take transit and 6% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Montgomery area's population grew 0.9% from 2020 to 2025 (385,406 → 388,747), ranking #258 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +1,789) account for most of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Montgomery
The Montgomery area has about 174,545 homes. 41% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is newer than most; 13% were built in 2010 or later. 67% of households own their home, and the median home value is $220,500.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Montgomery are up 6% from 2021 to 2025 (1,014 → 1,073).
In 2025 the Montgomery area approved permits for 1,073 new homes (809 single-family), or 2.8 per 1,000 residents, ranking #234 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 224 one-person businesses (no employees) in plumbing & HVAC contracting, averaging $89,777 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Montgomery compares among the best cities to start a plumber business.
They compete with 100 plumbing & HVAC contracting companies that have employees (about 1,157 workers in total). 58% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Pay on public projects
On federally funded building construction in Montgomery County, the law (the Davis-Bacon Act) sets a minimum of $35.20 an hour plus $13.51 an hour in benefits (or as cash), $48.71 in all for plumbers. That base rate is above the local median wage of $27.87. It comes from local union contracts.
U.S. Department of Labor wage determination AL20260093, 2026, via SAM.gov. Many states set their own prevailing wages for state and city projects.
Storm and disaster rebuild work
Since 2016, the Montgomery area has had 5 federal major disasters, mostly severe storms and hurricanes. The latest was declared in 2023 (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes). After big storms, repair and rebuild work can pull in traveling crews; see what a travel job pays.
FEMA disaster declarations, counties in this metro, fiscal years 2016–2026. COVID-19 declarations are left out.
Traveling here for work
Out-of-town plumbers on travel jobs here are often paid per diem. The federal rate is $113 a night for lodging plus $68 a day for meals, the standard federal rate (no local rate is set here): about $1,267 a week on top of wages. Compare a travel job here with a local one.
GSA per diem rates, FY2027 (October 2026–September 2027). Employers set their own per diem; many use the GSA rate as a guide.
Working outdoors in Montgomery Government data
In an average year, Montgomery has 93 days at 90°F or hotter (more than most metros; typical metro 33), including 4 at 100°F or more, 37 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 72 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more. Summer afternoons average 93°F and winter nights 38°F. That matters for plumbers: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Montgomery Airport, AL station. Compare cities on outdoor work weather.
Where to train near Montgomery Government data
1 school in or near Montgomery offers plumbing programs below the bachelor's level. Many people in this trade learn through an apprenticeship instead; a program can shorten it or get you hired as a helper.
| School | Credential | Yearly cost | Recent grads | First-year pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| J F Ingram State Technical College Deatsville, AL · Public | Certificate | — | 55 | — |
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (data updated October 2026). Cost is the school's average yearly cost of attendance before financial aid; earnings are the median for graduates one year after finishing, shown only where the school has enough graduates to publish. “—” means not published.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the break-even rate to match a $57,960 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for (including the employer half of Social Security and Medicare, 7.65%), then adds your profit margin. Change any number.
Break-even rate
With your profit margin
How this calculator works. Weighing a contractor job against a W-2 one? Try the 1099 vs. W-2 comparison. Billable hours are hours you can charge a customer. Driving, quoting, paperwork and slow weeks aren't billable, which is why 1,400 is a common starting point versus 2,080 paid hours as an employee.
Get plumber pricing & estimate templates →Compare Montgomery with another city →
Keep exploring
Could this trade pay more somewhere else?
ToolBest cities for plumbersRank every metro on pay, buying power, rent and jobs.Is a job offer here any good?
ToolCheck an offer in MontgomerySee where it falls among local plumbers, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolMontgomery budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Montgomery metro: pay (BLS, May 2025) and pay over time (2020–2025, CPI-adjusted), prices (BEA, 2024), rent (HUD, FY2027), new construction, housing, population and commuting (Census), unemployment (BLS) and business counts (Census, by industry). National: job outlook and training (BLS projections), injury rates (BLS) and duties (O*NET). Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions; grades rank Montgomery against every other metro for plumbers. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.