Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters are a large skilled-trades occupation with strong projected demand. The latest Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) figures show about 510,600 jobs in 2025, a median annual wage of $63,800 in May 2025, and projected employment growth of 7% from 2025 to 2035.
Table of contents
- How many plumbers work in the U.S.?
- Where plumbers work
- Plumber pay statistics
- Employment outlook and annual openings
- Workforce demographics and age
- Labor force and unemployment
- How plumbing compares with nearby occupations
How many plumbers work in the U.S.?
The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook reported approximately 510,600 plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters employed in the United States in 2025. This occupational group is the main category used in the federal statistics, so the figures include related pipefitting and steamfitting work alongside plumbing. The employment figure comes from the BLS outlook profile for plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters (Occupational Outlook Handbook).
The BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program counted 465,840 workers in the same occupational group in May 2025. That figure is different from the 510,600 estimate because the BLS sources use different statistical programs and measurement methods. The OEWS count and wage estimates appear in Table 1 of the May 2025 OEWS release.
The 2025 Current Population Survey (CPS) annual-average estimate was higher still, at 624,000 employed plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters. The CPS is a household survey, while the OEWS and Occupational Outlook Handbook figures use establishment and projection data. These estimates should therefore be read as related measures rather than combined into one total. The CPS employment estimate is reported in Household survey data, 2025 annual averages.
Where plumbers work
Plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors employed 65% of plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters in 2025. This makes specialty contractors the dominant employment setting for the occupation. Self-employed workers accounted for another 8% of jobs.
Several other industries each represented 3% of plumbing-trade jobs in 2025: government, excluding state and local education and hospitals; heavy and civil engineering construction; and manufacturing. These shares come from the BLS plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters outlook profile.
The industry mix matters when interpreting pay. A worker employed by a government organization may face a different wage structure from one working for a contractor or manufacturer, and the BLS reports different May 2025 median wages for these settings.
Plumber pay statistics
The median annual wage for plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters was $63,800 in May 2025. The median divides workers into two equal groups: half earned more and half earned less. At the lower end, the lowest-paid 10% earned less than $44,150 annually. At the upper end, the highest-paid 10% earned more than $108,420.
The OEWS program reported a mean hourly wage of $34.70 and a mean annual wage of $72,170 in May 2025. Its median hourly wage was $30.67. The median annual wage from the Occupational Outlook Handbook and the OEWS mean annual wage are different measures, so neither should be treated as a correction to the other. See the BLS May 2025 OEWS occupation table and the Occupational Outlook Handbook profile.
The following BLS medians show how reported pay varied by industry in May 2025:
| Industry | Median annual wage |
|---|---|
| Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals | $71,660 |
| Manufacturing | $65,770 |
| Heavy and civil engineering construction | $63,270 |
| Plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors | $63,010 |
These are industry-specific medians for the occupational group, not guaranteed salaries for every plumber. Actual pay can differ by location, experience, responsibilities, and employer, but those factors are not quantified in the supplied BLS figures.
Employment outlook and annual openings
BLS projections call for employment of plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035. Projected employment rises from 510,600 in 2025 to 545,200 in 2035, a projected numeric increase of 34,500 jobs. The projected annual openings measure is 42,000 jobs per year on average during 2025–2035.
Annual openings are not the same as net employment growth. The 34,500-job increase describes the projected change in the number employed between the two endpoints. The 42,000 annual-openings figure reflects the BLS projection measure for openings over the period, which can include positions created by employment growth as well as openings associated with workers leaving the occupation. Both figures are from the BLS Occupational projections and worker characteristics table, while the 7% growth rate is reported in the Occupational Outlook Handbook.
The 2035 projection is an estimate, not a count of jobs already observed. It describes the BLS projection for the United States across the 2025–2035 period.
Workforce demographics and age
The 2025 CPS annual-average estimate counted 624,000 employed plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters. Women represented 3.1% of employed workers in the group. White workers represented 86.5%, Black or African American workers 7.1%, and Asian workers 2.8%. Hispanic or Latino workers represented 30.3%. The race and ethnicity measures are reported separately by the CPS and should not be added as mutually exclusive categories. These figures come from the BLS detailed occupation, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity table.
The 2025 CPS annual-average age distribution was:
| Age group | Employed workers |
|---|---|
| 16 to 19 | 15,000 |
| 20 to 24 | 70,000 |
| 25 to 34 | 154,000 |
| 35 to 44 | 150,000 |
| 45 to 54 | 120,000 |
| 55 to 64 | 88,000 |
| 65 and over | 27,000 |
The median age was 40.2 years in the 2025 CPS annual average. The age counts and median are reported in the BLS 2025 annual-average household survey data. The categories describe the employed workforce measured by the survey and do not predict an individual worker’s career length.
For context, the 2024 CPS annual-average estimate counted 636,000 employed workers in the occupation. Women represented 3.2%, White workers 84.3%, Black or African American workers 10.2%, Asian workers 2.6%, and Hispanic or Latino workers 32.5% that year. These are 2024 annual-average estimates and are not interchangeable with the 2025 figures. They are available in the BLS 2024 annual-average occupation table.
Labor force and unemployment
In the 2025 annual average, the labor force for plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters was 644,000 people. About 20,000 people in the occupation were unemployed, and the unemployment rate was 3.1%.
These measures come from the BLS unemployment levels and rates by detailed occupation. The labor force includes employed and unemployed people who meet the CPS labor-force definitions; it is not the same as the number of jobs reported by an employer-based survey. The 3.1% rate is an annual-average measure for 2025, not a real-time monthly rate.
How plumbing compares with nearby occupations
The May 2025 median annual wage for plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters was $63,800. That was higher than the $58,150 median for construction trades workers and higher than the $50,980 median for all occupations. These comparison figures come from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile and refer to May 2025 annual wages.
Projected employment growth also compares favorably with the nearby benchmarks. From 2025 to 2035, the occupation’s projected growth rate is 7%, compared with 6% for construction trades workers and 3% for all occupations. The comparison is a projection, not a report of growth already completed.
| Measure | Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters | Comparison |
|---|---|---|
| May 2025 median annual wage | $63,800 | Construction trades workers: $58,150 |
| May 2025 median annual wage | $63,800 | All occupations: $50,980 |
| Projected employment growth, 2025–2035 | 7% | Construction trades workers: 6% |
| Projected employment growth, 2025–2035 | 7% | All occupations: 3% |
The projections table lists 42.0 thousand projected annual openings for plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters from 2025 through 2035, and a projected 2035 employment level of 545,200 workers. Those values are also provided in the BLS occupational projections and characteristics table. Together, the wage and outlook figures describe an occupation with a measured median wage above the listed benchmarks and a projected growth rate above both comparison groups.