Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2025
Plumber Salary in Reno, NV
Trades · SOC 47-2152 · COL Index 106.5
Plumbers in Reno, NV earn a median salary of $77,020 as of 2025, with a 10th-to-90th percentile range of $44,200 to $111,540. The mean is $75,820 across approximately 1,170 workers. Adjusted for Reno, NV's cost-of-living index of 106.5, the median equates to $72,319 of purchasing power in an average-cost U.S. metro.
Plumber in Reno, NV pays modestly above the national median: $77,020 versus $69,663 nationally, roughly 11% above.
Cost-of-living in Reno, NV sits near the national baseline (index 106.5), so the unadjusted $77,020 median is reasonably comparable to wages in other near-baseline cities. Wage distribution at the 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles: $57,328, $77,020, $94,280, $111,540. 1,170 Plumber workers are documented in Reno, NV per the BLS OEWS survey. The percentile spread is the most useful framing — entry-level pay clusters near p25, mid-career near p50, senior-level near p75-p90.
Salary Distribution
Percentile Breakdown
| Percentile | Salary | COL-Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (Entry Level) | $44,200 | $41,502 |
| 25th Percentile | $57,328 | $53,829 |
| 50th Percentile (Median) | $77,020 | $72,319 |
| 75th Percentile | $94,280 | $88,526 |
| 90th Percentile (Top Earners) | $111,540 | $104,732 |
What These Numbers Tell You
The spread between the 10th and 90th percentile for Plumbers in Reno, NV is unusually wide — top earners take home roughly 2.5× what the bottom decile earns. That signals a long career ladder: substantial pay gains accrue with seniority, specialization, and movement to larger employers. Workers entering this role should expect to start near the 25th percentile and target the median by year three to five.
Reno, NV's cost-of-living index of 106.5 sits close to the U.S. average — $77,020 here has roughly the same purchasing power as the same salary in the typical U.S. metro. That makes this market a clean baseline for comparing offers across cities.
Reno, NV ranks #17 of 70 BLS-tracked metros for Plumber pay — in the top quartile nationally (top 24%). Markets in this band tend to be major regional employer hubs even when they are not the absolute highest-cost cities.
How to Use This in Negotiation
The classic negotiation move is to anchor your ask on the 75th percentile of the BLS band — $94,280 for Plumbers in Reno, NV — when you have meaningful experience, then bring evidence (years on the job, scope of past work, relevant certifications, comparable offers) to justify why you sit at that point in the distribution. Anchoring on the median when you have 5+ years of experience leaves money on the table; anchoring on the 90th percentile ($111,540) without strong evidence undercuts credibility.
For new entrants, the 25th-to-50th percentile band ($57,328–$77,020) is the realistic target. For mid-career workers, the median-to-75th band ($77,020–$94,280) is the right anchor. Senior specialists and managers should be benchmarking against the 75th-to-90th band ($94,280–$111,540).
For specific scripts and a full negotiation framework, see the data-driven salary negotiation guide. To benchmark your current pay, the salary percentile calculator places any number into the BLS distribution for this role and metro.
How This Salary Is Calculated
Wage figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program — a federal survey of about 1.2 million U.S. establishments, published once per year by Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code. The Reno, NV percentile bands above (10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th) and the mean are pulled directly from the BLS data file for SOC code 47-2152 in this MSA. The COL-adjusted figure rebases salary to a U.S. national average COL of 100, using a composite index derived from public housing, food, and transportation data. Read the full methodology for details.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average Plumber salary in Reno, NV?
Plumbers in Reno, NV earn a median salary of $77,020 as of 2025, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data. The mean (employment-weighted average) is $75,820 across roughly 1,170 workers in this metro.
What is the salary range for Plumbers in Reno, NV?
Pay ranges from $44,200 at the 10th percentile to $111,540 at the 90th percentile — a $67,340 spread. The 25th-to-75th percentile band ($57,328 to $94,280) is the typical anchor for salary negotiation.
Is $77,020 a good Plumber salary in Reno, NV?
$77,020 is the BLS median — half of Plumbers in Reno, NV earn more, half earn less. Whether it is "good" depends on your experience: new entrants typically land near the 25th percentile ($57,328), mid-career workers near the median, and senior specialists near or above the 75th percentile ($94,280). Cost-of-living-adjusted to a national average baseline, the median equates to $72,319.
How does Plumber pay in Reno, NV compare to other metros?
Reno, NV ranks #17 of 70 BLS-tracked metros for Plumber median pay. It sits in the top quartile of U.S. metros for this role.
Where does this Plumber salary data come from?
Every wage figure comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program at bls.gov/oes — public domain federal data covering 1.2 million U.S. employers. The same data feeds the U.S. Department of Labor's prevailing wage system used for H-1B and federal contracting wage determinations.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Reno, NV MSA, SOC 47-2152, 2025 release. Public domain. See bls.gov/oes. Cite as: "SalaryTruth, BLS OEWS 2025."
Last refreshed 2026-05-21 · 1,170 Plumbers tracked in Reno, NV.