Plumbers in the Cleveland area earn a median of $55,130 a year, 10% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #307 of 387 metros for plumber pay nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Chattanooga and Knoxville, but less in Dalton.
It's one of 10 Tennessee metros with published pay for this trade; see plumbers across Tennessee.
Plumber pay in Cleveland at a glance
- Plumbers in the Cleveland, TN metro earn a median $55,130 a year ($26.51 an hour), #307 of 387 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $36,830 and $73,510.
- After local prices, that median buys what $62,591 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $971 a month, 21% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
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What this means Our calculation
Pay for plumbers here is below average compared with other U.S. metros, and also below average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is about the same as in most metros (3.8%) and the population is growing faster than most (+6.1% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 118 one-person plumbing & HVAC contracting businesses averaging $103,119 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $71/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
Cleveland scorecard for plumbers Our calculation
Grades compare Cleveland 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).
Pay over time
The median pay for plumbers in the Cleveland area went from $46,750 in 2021 to $55,130 in 2025, up 17.9%. Prices rose 19% over the same period, so after inflation that's -1.2% — a real pay cut.
BLS OEWS, May 2021–May 2025; inflation: CPI-U (May to May). Year-to-year changes can include survey noise.
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Cleveland Our calculation
Prices in Cleveland run 12% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $62,591 would in a typical place, ranking #237 of 383 on real pay.
Real pay or rent burden?
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.
Want the full picture? Build a monthly budget for Cleveland from this pay, local rent and prices.
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.
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 near Cleveland ↗Find training programs & sponsors ↗
Official U.S. Department of Labor tools at Apprenticeship.gov. Counts: DOL Apprentices by State dashboard, FY2026 (all occupations).
Licensing in Tennessee Official source
The main state licensing office in Tennessee is the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors. It can point you to the right license for plumbers.
Official Tennessee licensing site ↗
Requirements for plumbers vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
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 TN metros for plumbers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| NashvilleTENNESSEE · TN | $60,100 | $62,385 | 2,760 |
| KnoxvilleTENNESSEE · TN | $59,860 | $64,665 | 1,700 |
| KingsportTENNESSEE · TN | $59,360 | $68,666 | 290 |
| ClarksvilleTENNESSEE · TN | $58,930 | $64,796 | 280 |
| ChattanoogaTENNESSEE · TN | $58,720 | $64,200 | 860 |
| MemphisTENNESSEE · TN | $58,690 | $63,670 | 1,920 |
| ClevelandTENNESSEE · TN | $55,130 | $62,591 | 80 |
| MorristownTENNESSEE · TN | $53,780 | $62,271 | 70 |
| JacksonTENNESSEE · TN | $52,620 | $61,528 | 260 |
| Johnson CityTENNESSEE · TN | $48,480 | $55,136 | 210 |
See every metro in Tennessee.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Cleveland area's unemployment rate was 3.8% in 2025 (all workers, not just plumbers), below the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 4.3% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Cleveland area is 25 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 13% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 82% drive alone, 0% take transit and 6% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Cleveland area's population grew 6.1% from 2020 to 2025 (126,390 → 134,057), ranking #77 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +9,313) account for more than all of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Cleveland
The Cleveland area has about 55,168 homes. 43% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is about as old as most; 16% were built in 2010 or later. 65% of households own their home, and the median home value is $322,400.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Cleveland are up 19% from 2021 to 2025 (790 → 938).
In 2025 the Cleveland area approved permits for 938 new homes (844 single-family), or 7.3 per 1,000 residents, ranking #71 of 393 metros, among the busiest building markets in the country.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 118 one-person businesses (no employees) in plumbing & HVAC contracting, averaging $103,119 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Cleveland compares among the best cities to start a plumber business.
They compete with 29 plumbing & HVAC contracting companies that have employees (about 186 workers in total). 59% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Working outdoors in Cleveland Government data
In an average year, Cleveland has 36 days at 90°F or hotter (about typical; typical metro 33), 80 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 90 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more, and 1 inch of snow. Summer afternoons average 88°F and winter nights 31°F. That matters for plumbers: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Cleveland Fltr Plt, TN station. Compare cities on outdoor work weather.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the break-even rate to match a $55,130 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for (including the employer half of Social Security and Medicare, 7.65%), then adds your profit margin. Change any number.
Break-even rate
With your profit margin
How this calculator works. Weighing a contractor job against a W-2 one? Try the 1099 vs. W-2 comparison. 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 Cleveland with another city →
Keep exploring
Could this trade pay more somewhere else?
ToolBest cities for plumbersRank every metro on pay, buying power, rent and jobs.Is a job offer here any good?
ToolCheck an offer in ClevelandSee where it falls among local plumbers, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolCleveland budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Cleveland metro: pay (BLS, May 2025) and pay over time (2020–2025, CPI-adjusted), prices (BEA, 2024), rent (HUD, FY2027), new construction, housing, population and commuting (Census), unemployment (BLS) and business counts (Census, by industry). National: job outlook and training (BLS projections), injury rates (BLS) and duties (O*NET). Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions; grades rank Cleveland against every other metro for plumbers. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.