How Much Do Plumbers Make in 2026?

Plumbers make roughly $22 to $55 an hour as employees in 2026, and a shop owner can net six figures. About $31 an hour is roughly the middle of what an employed plumber earns in the United States in 2026, and it is also the number that tells you almost nothing on its own. A second-year apprentice is making half of it.

A master plumber in a Chicago union hall is making double it before overtime. And the owner of a four-truck shop is looking at that figure thinking about how little it describes what actually lands in a bank account at the end of a good year. Plumbing pays well, but the pay depends entirely on which rung you are standing on..