Plumbers in the Sumter area earn a median of $50,840 a year, 17% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #340 of 387 U.S. metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Florence and Columbia, but less in Myrtle Beach.
Sumter scorecard for plumbers Our calculation
Grades compare Sumter 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 Sumter Our calculation
Prices in the Sumter area run 12% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $57,760 would in a typical place, ranking #314 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 SC metros for plumbers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| CharlestonSOUTH CAROLINA · SC | $57,360 | $56,813 | 960 |
| FlorenceSOUTH CAROLINA · SC | $56,160 | $64,720 | 190 |
| Hilton Head IslandSOUTH CAROLINA · SC | $54,870 | $55,980 | 210 |
| SpartanburgSOUTH CAROLINA · SC | $52,640 | $57,814 | 310 |
| ColumbiaSOUTH CAROLINA · SC | $52,070 | $55,594 | 1,060 |
| GreenvilleSOUTH CAROLINA · SC | $50,890 | $54,568 | 960 |
| SumterSOUTH CAROLINA · SC | $50,840 | $57,760 | 80 |
| Myrtle BeachSOUTH CAROLINA · SC | $48,340 | $51,622 | 460 |
See every metro in South Carolina.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Sumter area's unemployment rate was 5.4% in 2025 (all workers, not just plumbers), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 4.5% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Sumter area is 24 minutes each way, about the same as the typical metro (24 min). 16% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. nan% drive alone, nan% take transit and nan% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
New construction
New-home permits in Sumter are down 24% from 2021 to 2025 (472 → 358).
In 2025 the Sumter area approved permits for 358 new homes (320 single-family), or 3.4 per 1,000 residents, ranking #198 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 61 one-person businesses (no employees) in plumbing & HVAC contracting, averaging $67,295 a year in revenue before expenses.
They compete with 26 plumbing & HVAC contracting companies that have employees (about 592 workers in total). 38% 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 $50,840 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 Sumter 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.