Statewide pay Government data
Plumbers in Pennsylvania earn a statewide median of $68,080 a year, 11% above the typical U.S. metro, ranking #18 of 50 states and DC. About 13,620 people work in the trade statewide.
Statewide pay range
States ranked near Pennsylvania
See all states on the plumbers nationwide.
Pay by city Government data
BLS publishes plumber pay for 16 Pennsylvania metros. The highest-paying is Philadelphia at $74,860, followed by Harrisburg and Pittsburgh.
| Metro | Median pay | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| PhiladelphiaPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $74,860 | $72,996 | 7,150 |
| HarrisburgPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $73,560 | $74,567 | 950 |
| PittsburghPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $70,100 | $74,046 | 2,910 |
| YorkPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $70,100 | $73,021 | 420 |
| EriePENNSYLVANIA · PA | $66,410 | $73,018 | 280 |
| AllentownPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $64,940 | $64,961 | 730 |
| LebanonPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $62,660 | $67,222 | 100 |
| ReadingPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $62,370 | $64,259 | 360 |
| LancasterPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $61,950 | $63,049 | 820 |
| GettysburgPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $61,630 | $64,616 | 50 |
| AltoonaPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $61,430 | $68,632 | 80 |
| ScrantonPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $61,160 | $65,373 | 450 |
| ChambersburgPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $60,200 | $63,608 | 140 |
| JohnstownPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $59,970 | $69,790 | 90 |
| WilliamsportPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $58,730 | $63,595 | 120 |
| State CollegePENNSYLVANIA · PA | $57,560 | $59,486 | 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 Pennsylvania'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 Pennsylvania who finished or left a registered program in fiscal years 2020–2024, 78% completed (U.S.: 55%), about 329 graduates a year. The typical program runs 10,000 hours, about 5 years of full-time work. Union programs had a 86% completion rate, compared with 58% for non-union programs. Some apprentices here are registered through a state agency that reports only partly to the federal system, so counts may be low. 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 Pennsylvania filed 94 severe injury reports (a hospital stay, amputation or loss of an eye), 13 of them involving an amputation. The most common cause was falls, slips and trips (56% of reports). These cover everyone at those employers, not only plumbers. OSHA also opened 6 fatality investigations at plumbing and HVAC contractors in Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania Government data
12 schools in Pennsylvania offer plumbing programs below the bachelor's level, 9 of them at public colleges. Many people in this trade learn through an apprenticeship instead; a program can shorten it or get you hired as a helper.
Where published, graduates earned a median of $38,247 in their first year out.
| School | Credential | Yearly cost | Recent grads | First-year pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennco Tech-Bristol Bristol, PA · Private for-profit | Certificate | $34,659 | 44 | $38,247 |
| Philadelphia Technician Training Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit | Certificate | $25,900 | 22 | $25,402 |
| Community College of Allegheny County Pittsburgh, PA · Public | Certificate | $16,108 | 19 | — |
| Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology Lancaster, PA · Public | Associate degree | $19,898 | 17 | $39,743 |
| Pennsylvania College of Technology Williamsport, PA · Public | Certificate | $33,428 | 17 | — |
| Orleans Technical College Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit | Certificate | $27,489 | 9 | — |
| Luzerne County Community College Nanticoke, PA · Public | Certificate | $15,804 | 7 | — |
| Delaware County Community College Media, PA · Public | Certificate | $14,388 | 4 | — |
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 Pennsylvania Official source
The main state licensing office in Pennsylvania is the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. Home improvement contractors register with the state; most trades are licensed locally. It can point you to the right license for plumbers.
Official Pennsylvania licensing site ↗
Requirements for plumbers vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
Union membership
In 2025, 10.9% of wage and salary workers in Pennsylvania were union members, above the U.S. rate of about 10% (#20 of 51 states and D.C.), and 11.7% 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 Pennsylvania
All trades in Pennsylvania.