Trades · 25 Cities Ranked

Highest Paying Cities for Plumber (2024)

The median Plumber salary is $100,110 in Portland, OR, the highest-paying city for this role. After adjusting for cost of living, Chicago, IL offers the best purchasing power at $92,162 adjusted.

$70,862

National Median

$100,110

Highest City

$52,280

Lowest City

Cities Ranked

Ranked by Median Salary

Rank	City	Median	Range (10th–90th)	COL Index	COL-Adjusted	Jobs
1	Portland, OR	$100,110	$53,180 – $135,950	130.1	$76,949	4,920
2	Chicago, IL	$98,890	$50,210 – $123,600	107.3	$92,162	14,230
3	Minneapolis, MN	$97,020	$50,220 – $122,730	106.2	$91,356	5,070
4	San Jose, CA	$90,220	$58,620 – $169,280	195.8	$46,078	2,230
5	Seattle, WA	$87,160	$50,630 – $148,620	149.4	$58,340	6,540
6	Boston, MA	$83,640	$48,170 – $140,870	152.1	$54,990	11,320
7	Detroit, MI	$81,480	$46,350 – $103,930	95.1	$85,678	5,590
8	New York, NY	$79,420	$49,180 – $138,100	187.2	$42,425	21,500
9	Philadelphia, PA	$72,580	$48,000 – $131,040	118.4	$61,301	7,570
10	San Francisco, CA	$71,700	$50,720 – $142,380	179.6	$39,922	7,090
11	San Diego, CA	$66,130	$43,980 – $124,400	160.2	$41,280	5,530
12	Salt Lake City, UT	$66,090	$47,550 – $86,700	101.4	$65,178	3,070
13	Los Angeles, CA	$65,110	$45,530 – $125,580	166	$39,223	13,440
14	Denver, CO	$64,300	$48,000 – $102,170	112.8	$57,004	5,220
15	Washington, DC	$64,030	$47,150 – $105,800	152.8	$41,904	8,780
16	Phoenix, AZ	$62,680	$46,100 – $99,200	100.7	$62,244	9,990
17	Austin, TX	$62,280	$39,090 – $84,670	103	$60,466	4,740
18	Dallas, TX	$60,370	$38,480 – $82,760	104.1	$57,992	11,120
19	Houston, TX	$60,230	$38,080 – $81,980	96.5	$62,415	11,150
20	Nashville, TN	$59,870	$41,560 – $83,010	100.3	$59,691	2,850
21	Atlanta, GA	$58,690	$38,160 – $83,420	99.2	$59,163	4,610
22	Miami, FL	$56,170	$39,380 – $72,520	123.1	$45,630	5,130
23	Raleigh, NC	$55,560	$39,810 – $72,910	99.8	$55,671	2,520
24	Charlotte, NC	$55,550	$38,470 – $75,230	96.7	$57,446	4,210
25	Tampa, FL	$52,280	$38,650 – $65,210	99.6	$52,490	4,120

Ranked by Purchasing Power (COL-Adjusted)

Cost-of-living adjusted salaries show where your Plumber paycheck goes furthest. A lower COL index means your dollars stretch further.

Rank	City	COL-Adjusted	Raw Median	COL Index
1	Chicago, IL	$92,162	$98,890	107.3
2	Minneapolis, MN	$91,356	$97,020	106.2
3	Detroit, MI	$85,678	$81,480	95.1
4	Portland, OR	$76,949	$100,110	130.1
5	Salt Lake City, UT	$65,178	$66,090	101.4
6	Houston, TX	$62,415	$60,230	96.5
7	Phoenix, AZ	$62,244	$62,680	100.7
8	Philadelphia, PA	$61,301	$72,580	118.4
9	Austin, TX	$60,466	$62,280	103
10	Nashville, TN	$59,691	$59,870	100.3
11	Atlanta, GA	$59,163	$58,690	99.2
12	Seattle, WA	$58,340	$87,160	149.4
13	Dallas, TX	$57,992	$60,370	104.1
14	Charlotte, NC	$57,446	$55,550	96.7
15	Denver, CO	$57,004	$64,300	112.8
16	Raleigh, NC	$55,671	$55,560	99.8
17	Boston, MA	$54,990	$83,640	152.1
18	Tampa, FL	$52,490	$52,280	99.6
19	San Jose, CA	$46,078	$90,220	195.8
20	Miami, FL	$45,630	$56,170	123.1
21	New York, NY	$42,425	$79,420	187.2
22	Washington, DC	$41,904	$64,030	152.8
23	San Diego, CA	$41,280	$66,130	160.2
24	San Francisco, CA	$39,922	$71,700	179.6
25	Los Angeles, CA	$39,223	$65,110	166

Frequently Asked Questions

Portland, OR pays the highest median Plumber salary at $100,110. However, after cost-of-living adjustment, Chicago, IL offers the most purchasing power at $92,162 adjusted.

The national median Plumber salary is $70,862 based on BLS data. Salaries range from $52,280 to $100,110 depending on city.

Not necessarily. A city with higher nominal pay may have a higher cost of living that offsets the salary difference. Compare the "COL-Adjusted" column in both tables above — cities with lower costs of living often offer better real purchasing power.