Pay by city Government data
BLS publishes plumber pay for 4 Puerto Rico metros: Aguadilla, Mayaguez, Ponce and San Juan.
| Metro | Median pay | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| San JuanPUERTO RICO · PR | $32,300 | — | 800 |
| AguadillaPUERTO RICO · PR | $31,660 | — | 40 |
| MayaguezPUERTO RICO · PR | $30,120 | — | 30 |
| PoncePUERTO RICO · PR | $29,690 | — | 40 |
Pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025 (metro-level). Real pay: BEA price parities, 2024. How we calculate
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).
Serious injuries & deaths reported to OSHA Government data
Puerto Rico runs its own workplace-safety program (an OSHA State Plan), so its injury reports aren't in the federal dataset. Nationally, in states federal OSHA covers, plumbing and HVAC contractors filed 1,305 severe injury reports from 2015 to 2024; the most common cause was falls, slips and trips (46%).
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 Puerto Rico Government data
2 schools in Puerto Rico 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NUC University Bayamon, PR · Private for-profit | Certificate | $19,031 | 160 | $25,760 |
| Professional Technical Institution Bayamon, PR · Private for-profit | Certificate | $10,944 | 18 | — |
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 Puerto Rico Official source
Check with local authorities in Puerto Rico. 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.
Cities in Puerto Rico
All trades in Puerto Rico.