Alaska Plumbing Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Alaska loss cost for plumbing workers comp, class 5183 (Plumbing NOC & Drivers), is $1.515 per $100 of payroll (effective January 1, 2026). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $2.27.
A loss cost covers expected claims only. Each carrier files its own multiplier for expenses; in the states that publish the full list, the median is about 1.5, which is what the typical premium here uses. Your quote can be lower or higher. Source.
Alaska class code for plumbing
- 5183: Plumbing NOC & Drivers
- 5188 (Sprinkler Installation & Drivers)
Plumbing work involves back strain, cuts, burns from soldering and hot water, and work in crawl spaces and other confined spaces.
What comp costs per plumber in Alaska
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 1,200 plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters on payrolls in Alaska (May 2025), the 48th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $45.15 an hour, 47% above the US median of $30.67.
Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters make up about the same share of Alaska jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 1.23).
At a typical Alaska premium of about $2.27 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $1.52 for class 5183 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $1.02 for every hour worked, or $2,132 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $4,264 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Alaska pay runs from $25.83 an hour at the 10th percentile to $58.97 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.59 an hour on a new hire and $1.34 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Alaska
- Coverage required: 1 employee
- Owners and sole proprietors: Owners with 10%+ ownership are excluded; employees must still be covered
- State fund: Private market (no state fund)
- Waiting period: 3 days; retroactive if disability lasts more than 28 days
- Penalty for going without: Up to $1,000 per employee per day, stop-work orders, and a 3-year bar on public contracts
A hiring contractor in Alaska becomes liable for a subcontractor's employees if that sub lacks its own coverage.
Alaska vs neighboring states
- Washington: about $4.68 per $100 of payroll
- Oregon: about $1.46 per $100 of payroll
Alaska has no land border, so this compares it with the nearest mainland markets.
Among its neighbors, Oregon is the cheapest for plumbing comp at $1.46 and Washington the most expensive at $4.68 per $100 of payroll.
Working across the line into Washington needs separate coverage from that state's fund. A private policy's other-states coverage (item 3.C) does not reach monopolistic states.
What moves a plumbing comp bill
- Plumbing rates sit in the middle of the construction classes; the swing comes from your experience mod. Trench and excavation injuries are the costly claims, so trench-safety training pays back quickly.
- Some states split residential and commercial plumbing into different classes. If you do both, make sure the payroll for each is recorded so the cheaper work is not rated at the higher class.
- Apprentices carry the same class rate as journeymen, but their lower wages mean less premium per hour. Your payroll mix matters as much as the rate.
- Uninsured subs (excavators, drywall patchers) get added to your payroll at audit unless you collect certificates before they start.