Plumbers in the Santa Maria area earn a median of $61,000 a year, 1% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #204 of 387 metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Oxnard and San Luis Obispo, but less in Visalia.
It's one of 25 California metros with published pay for this trade; see statewide plumber pay.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for plumbers here is about average compared with other U.S. metros, and in the bottom 20% once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is higher than in most metros (4.8%) and the population is shrinking (-1.4% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 169 one-person plumbing & HVAC contracting businesses averaging $105,142 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $76/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
A summary of the numbers on this page; nothing here is estimated beyond them.
Santa Maria scorecard for plumbers Our calculation
Grades compare Santa Maria 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 Santa Maria area went from $68,310 in 2020 to $61,000 in 2025, down 10.7%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -28.8% — 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 Santa Maria Our calculation
Prices in Santa Maria run 9% above the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $56,067 would in a typical place, ranking #332 of 383 on real pay.
Two different views, don't combine them. 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.
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 Santa Maria ↗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 California Official source
The main state licensing office in California is the Contractors State License Board. Licenses all trades by classification (e.g. C-10 electrical; C-36 plumbing). It can point you to the right license for plumbers.
Official California 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 CA metros for plumbers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| San JoseCALIFORNIA · CA | $107,560 | $97,407 | 3,830 |
| San FranciscoCALIFORNIA · CA | $77,880 | $67,363 | 5,660 |
| San DiegoCALIFORNIA · CA | $72,510 | $64,806 | 5,100 |
| VallejoCALIFORNIA · CA | $71,560 | $65,967 | 370 |
| Los AngelesCALIFORNIA · CA | $71,110 | $62,616 | 15,690 |
| Santa CruzCALIFORNIA · CA | $68,130 | $61,995 | 350 |
| BakersfieldCALIFORNIA · CA | $66,450 | $65,866 | 960 |
| NapaCALIFORNIA · CA | $65,420 | $58,123 | 150 |
| SacramentoCALIFORNIA · CA | $65,210 | $61,132 | 3,120 |
| Santa RosaCALIFORNIA · CA | $64,700 | $60,027 | 560 |
See every metro in California.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Santa Maria area's unemployment rate was 4.8% in 2025 (all workers, not just plumbers), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 5.8% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Santa Maria area is 21 minutes each way, shorter than the typical metro (24 min). 10% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 66% drive alone, 3% take transit and 11% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Santa Maria area's population shrank 1.4% from 2020 to 2025 (448,325 → 442,065), ranking #350 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). More people moved out than in (net -15,917).
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Santa Maria
The Santa Maria area has about 162,335 homes. 59% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is older than most; 8% were built in 2010 or later. Older homes often need more repair, replacement and upgrade work. 52% of households own their home, and the median home value is $900,900.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Santa Maria are up 19% from 2021 to 2025 (1,152 → 1,371).
In 2025 the Santa Maria area approved permits for 1,371 new homes (433 single-family), or 3.1 per 1,000 residents, ranking #215 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 169 one-person businesses (no employees) in plumbing & HVAC contracting, averaging $105,142 a year in revenue before expenses.
They compete with 185 plumbing & HVAC contracting companies that have employees (about 1,334 workers in total). 58% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the minimum you'd need to bill to match a $61,000 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for. Change any number.
Minimum billing rate
How this calculator works. 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 Santa Maria with another city →
About this data
- Pay: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2025, local to this metro.
- Pay over time: BLS OEWS May 2020–2025, local; inflation from the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U).
- Real pay: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024, local.
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027, local (county rents weighted by population).
- Job outlook, education, training: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national.
- Duties: O*NET 31.0, national.
- Safety: BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024, national.
- New construction: Census Building Permits, 2021–2025, local.
- Housing: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local (age of homes, ownership, home values).
- Population: Census Bureau population estimates, 2020–2025, local.
- Commute: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local, all workers.
- Unemployment: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 2021–2025 annual averages, local, all workers (2025 preliminary).
- Competition: Census Nonemployer Statistics 2024 and County Business Patterns 2023, local, reported by industry, so related trades can share one figure.
- Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions. Grades rank this metro against all others for the same trade.