Statewide pay Government data
Plumbers in Kansas earn a statewide median of $65,220 a year, 6% above the typical U.S. metro, ranking #22 of 50 states and DC. About 4,590 people work in the trade statewide.
Statewide pay range
States ranked near Kansas
See all states on the plumbers nationwide.
Pay by city Government data
BLS publishes plumber pay for 4 Kansas metros. The highest-paying is Topeka at $75,090, followed by Wichita and Manhattan.
| Metro | Median pay | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| TopekaKANSAS · KS | $75,090 | $84,542 | 420 |
| WichitaKANSAS · KS | $60,940 | $68,513 | 1,060 |
| ManhattanKANSAS · KS | $60,600 | $67,212 | 200 |
| LawrenceKANSAS · KS | $59,280 | $65,689 | 130 |
Pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025 (metro-level). Real pay: BEA price parities, 2024. How we calculate
Pay outside the cities Government data
BLS also reports pay for Kansas's rural (nonmetropolitan) regions.
BLS OEWS nonmetropolitan areas, May 2025.
The job (national)
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.
Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6.8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 42,000 openings a year. Typical training: apprenticeship.
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.
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 ↗Find training programs & sponsors ↗
Official U.S. Department of Labor tools at Apprenticeship.gov. Counts: DOL Apprentices by State dashboard, FY2026 (all occupations).
Registered apprenticeships Government data
Of plumber apprentices in Kansas who finished or left a registered program in fiscal years 2020–2024, 66% completed (U.S.: 55%), about 34 graduates a year. The typical program runs 8,500 hours, about 4 years of full-time work. Union programs had a 89% completion rate, compared with 45% for non-union programs. Search open registered programs near you on the official Apprenticeship Finder.
U.S. Department of Labor, RAPIDS apprentice records (Completion Rate Analysis), FY2020–2024 exits.
Serious injuries & deaths reported to OSHA Government data
From 2015 to 2024, plumbing and HVAC contractors in Kansas filed 17 severe injury reports (a hospital stay, amputation or loss of an eye). The most common cause was falls, slips and trips (41% of reports). These cover everyone at those employers, not only plumbers. OSHA also opened 3 fatality investigations at plumbing and HVAC contractors in Kansas over the same years (federal and state programs).
OSHA Severe Injury Reports, January 2015–December 2024 (states under federal OSHA only).
Fatality investigations: OSHA Fatality Inspection Data, events 2015–2024, all states.
Where to train in Kansas Government data
7 schools in Kansas offer 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washburn Institute of Technology Topeka, KS · Public | Certificate | $18,739 | 20 | — |
| Johnson County Community College Overland Park, KS · Public | Certificate | $18,093 | 11 | — |
| Fort Hays State University-Northwest Kansas Technical College Goodland, KS · Public | Certificate | $19,780 | 10 | — |
| Barton County Community College Great Bend, KS · Public | Certificate | $17,326 | 6 | — |
| Butler Community College El Dorado, KS · Public | Associate degree | $22,412 | 0 | — |
| Fort Hays State University-Northwest Kansas Technical College Goodland, KS · Public | Associate degree | $19,780 | 0 | — |
| Neosho County Community College Chanute, KS · Public | Certificate | $17,284 | 0 | — |
| Washburn University Topeka, KS · Public | Certificate | $21,099 | — | — |
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.
Licensing in Kansas Official source
Kansas licenses most trades at the city or county level. Check with the building or licensing office where you plan to work.
Requirements for plumbers vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
Union membership
In 2025, 6.2% of wage and salary workers in Kansas were union members, below the U.S. rate of about 10% (#32 of 51 states and D.C.), and 9.0% were covered by a union contract. These figures cover all jobs in the state, not only plumbers.
BLS Union Members, 2025 (Current Population Survey), table 5.
Cities in Kansas
All trades in Kansas.