Plumbers in the Raleigh area earn a median of $60,540 a year, 1% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #215 of 387 metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays less in Goldsboro.
Raleigh scorecard for plumbers Our calculation
Grades compare Raleigh 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).
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Raleigh Our calculation
Prices in Raleigh run 2% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $61,677 would in a typical place, ranking #254 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.
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 NC metros for plumbers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| RaleighNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $60,540 | $61,677 | 2,810 |
| DurhamNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $60,110 | $61,606 | 620 |
| AshevilleNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $59,200 | $61,343 | 460 |
| CharlotteNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $58,690 | $60,289 | 3,840 |
| GreensboroNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $57,510 | $61,929 | 1,110 |
| GreenvilleNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $57,080 | $64,569 | 250 |
| BurlingtonNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $56,890 | $61,043 | 260 |
| WilmingtonNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $56,390 | $58,483 | 690 |
| Rocky MountNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $56,220 | $63,878 | 140 |
| JacksonvilleNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $53,230 | $57,805 | 270 |
See every metro in North Carolina.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Raleigh area's unemployment rate was 3.2% in 2025 (all workers, not just plumbers), below the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 4.0% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Raleigh area is 27 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 16% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 66% drive alone, 1% take transit and 24% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
New construction
New-home permits in Raleigh are down 19% from 2021 to 2025 (21,649 → 17,543).
In 2025 the Raleigh area approved permits for 17,543 new homes (11,760 single-family), or 11.8 per 1,000 residents, ranking #17 of 393 metros, among the busiest building markets in the country.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 790 one-person businesses (no employees) in plumbing & HVAC contracting, averaging $63,225 a year in revenue before expenses.
They compete with 566 plumbing & HVAC contracting companies that have employees (about 8,070 workers in total). 54% 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 $60,540 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for. Change any number.
Minimum billing rate
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 Raleigh with another city →
About this data
- Pay: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2025, local to this metro.
- 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.
- 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.