West Virginia Plumbing Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published West Virginia loss cost for plumbing workers comp, class 5183 (Plumbing NOC & Drivers), is $0.620 per $100 of payroll (effective January 1, 2026). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $0.93.
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.
West Virginia 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 West Virginia
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 1,830 plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters on payrolls in West Virginia (May 2025), the 43rd largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $27.39 an hour, 11% below the US median of $30.67.
Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters make up about the same share of West Virginia jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 0.87).
At a typical West Virginia premium of about $0.93 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $0.62 for class 5183 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.25 for every hour worked, or $530 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $1,060 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. West Virginia pay runs from $17.31 an hour at the 10th percentile to $39.98 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.16 an hour on a new hire and $0.37 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in West Virginia
- Coverage required: Any employee (from the first)
- Owners and sole proprietors: Owners not required to cover themselves; may elect in
- State fund: Private market (fully privatized in 2008)
- Waiting period: 3 days; retroactive only if lost time exceeds 7 consecutive days
- Penalty for going without: An uninsured employer loses statutory immunity and can be sued in tort
West Virginia is the most recent state to fully privatize, ending a roughly 90-year monopolistic fund in 2008.
West Virginia vs neighboring states
- Ohio: about $1.46 per $100 of payroll
- Pennsylvania: about $2.47 per $100 of payroll
West Virginia has the lowest plumbing comp rate in its region; every neighboring state charges more per $100 of payroll.
Working across the line into Ohio 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.