Plumbers in the Knoxville area earn a median of $59,860 a year, 3% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #229 of 387 U.S. metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays less in Morristown.
It's one of 10 Tennessee metros with published pay for this trade; see statewide plumber pay.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for plumbers here is about average compared with other U.S. metros, and also about average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is lower than in most metros (3.2%) and the population is growing faster than most (+6.8% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 696 one-person plumbing & HVAC contracting businesses averaging $94,391 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $75/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
A summary of the numbers on this page; nothing here is estimated beyond them.
Knoxville scorecard for plumbers Our calculation
Grades compare Knoxville 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 Knoxville area went from $42,520 in 2020 to $59,860 in 2025, up 40.8%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's +12.3% — a real raise.
BLS OEWS, May 2020–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 Knoxville Our calculation
Prices in the Knoxville area run 7% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $64,665 would in a typical place, ranking #202 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.
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 Knoxville ↗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 Knoxville 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 3.7% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Knoxville area is 25 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 11% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 76% drive alone, 0% take transit and 13% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Knoxville area's population grew 6.8% from 2020 to 2025 (906,075 → 968,137), ranking #68 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +72,683) account for more than all of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Knoxville
The Knoxville area has about 432,053 homes. 42% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is newer than most; 16% were built in 2010 or later. 71% of households own their home, and the median home value is $351,400.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Knoxville are up 31% from 2021 to 2025 (5,990 → 7,855).
In 2025 the Knoxville area approved permits for 7,855 new homes (4,969 single-family), or 8.4 per 1,000 residents, ranking #50 of 393 metros, among the busiest building markets in the country.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 696 one-person businesses (no employees) in plumbing & HVAC contracting, averaging $94,391 a year in revenue before expenses.
They compete with 275 plumbing & HVAC contracting companies that have employees (about 3,649 workers in total). 52% 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 $59,860 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for. Change any number.
Minimum billing rate
How this calculator works. 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 Knoxville with another city →
About this data
- Pay: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2025, local to this metro.
- Pay over time: BLS OEWS May 2020–2025, local; inflation from the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U).
- 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.
- Housing: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local (age of homes, ownership, home values).
- Population: Census Bureau population estimates, 2020–2025, 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.