Plumbing Industry Statistics
28 numbers on U.S. plumbing: what plumbers earn, how many there are, how long training takes, and the leaks, lead lines and water heaters that drive the work. Checked October 2026.
We put this page together at BlueCollarStacks because plumbing numbers get repeated online long after the source has changed. The best example: the EPA's lead service line estimate, widely quoted at over 9 million, was revised to 4 million with 2025 inventory data. Everything here links to the agency, survey or report we opened in October 2026. Workforce data comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, business counts from the Census Bureau, water data from the EPA, and equipment data from AHRI. Vendor surveys are labeled.
Plumber pay and jobs
- 01
Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters earned a median $63,800 a year ($30.67 an hour) in May 2025.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook · 2025
- 02
The lowest-paid 10% of plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters earned less than $44,150 in May 2025, and the highest-paid 10% earned more than $108,420.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook · 2025
- 03
Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters held about 510,600 jobs in 2025. 65% worked for plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors and 8% were self-employed.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook · 2025
- 04
BLS projects employment of plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, an increase of 34,500 jobs, much faster than the average for all occupations.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook · 2025
- 05
About 42,000 openings for plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters are projected each year, on average, from 2025 to 2035.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook · 2025
Training, licensing and an aging workforce
- 06
Most plumbers learn through a 4- or 5-year apprenticeship, with about 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training each year plus technical instruction.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook · 2025
- 07
Most states and some localities require plumbers to be licensed. Requirements often include 2 to 5 years of experience and passing an exam before working independently.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook · 2025
- 08
Of 624,000 employed plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters in 2025, about 115,000 (roughly 18%) were 55 or older. The occupation's median age was 40.2.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, Table 11b · 2025
- 09
Women made up 3.1% of employed plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters in 2025, and 30.3% were Hispanic or Latino.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, Table 11 · 2025
- 10
The construction industry needs an estimated 349,000 net new workers in 2026, with a majority of that demand coming from retirements, according to ABC's model. The figure covers all construction trades, not plumbing alone.
Associated Builders and Contractors (trade association) · 2026
- 11
Pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters had 47 fatal work injuries in 2024, a rate of 6.9 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers, compared with 3.3 for all workers.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries · 2024
Plumbing contractors
- 12
There were 111,207 plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractor establishments with paid employees in 2023, employing 1,214,761 people with an annual payroll of about $89.5 billion. Census does not split plumbing from HVAC in this code.
U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 (NAICS 238220) · 2023
- 13
76.8% of plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractor establishments (85,458 of 111,207) had fewer than 10 employees in 2023. BlueCollarStacks calculation from the employment-size classes.
U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 (NAICS 238220) · 2023
- 14
There were also 178,663 nonemployer plumbing, heating and air-conditioning businesses (no paid staff) in 2023, with about $14.0 billion in combined receipts.
U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics 2023 (NAICS 23822) · 2023
- 15
Employment at plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors grew 3.2% from 2022 to 2023, from 1,176,759 to 1,214,761. BlueCollarStacks calculation.
U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2022 and 2023 (NAICS 238220) · 2023
Leaks and lead pipes
- 16
Household leaks can waste nearly 1 trillion gallons of water a year nationwide.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, WaterSense Fix a Leak Week · 2026
- 17
The average household's leaks can account for more than 9,300 gallons of water wasted every year.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, WaterSense Fix a Leak Week · 2026
- 18
Nine percent of homes have leaks that waste 50 gallons or more per day.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, WaterSense Fix a Leak Week · 2026
- 19
Fixing easily corrected household leaks can save homeowners about 10% on their water bills.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, WaterSense Fix a Leak Week · 2026
- 20
EPA estimates there are 4 million lead service lines in the U.S., based on 2025 inventory data: 3 million reported lead lines plus 1 million lines of unknown material predicted to be lead. This replaces the 2023 estimate of about 9.2 million.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2025 Update to the 7th DWINSA (fact sheet, November 2025) · 2025
- 21
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act appropriated $15 billion to the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund specifically to speed up lead service line replacement.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2025 Update to the 7th DWINSA (fact sheet) · 2025
Water heaters
- 22
U.S. shipments of residential electric storage water heaters were 5,028,226 units in 2025 (down 0.6%), and residential gas storage water heaters were 4,252,075 units (up 1.8%).
AHRI, December 2025 U.S. Heating and Cooling Equipment Shipment Data · 2025
- 23
Through August 2026, residential gas storage water heater shipments were down 2.4% (2,787,099 units) and electric storage shipments were down 4.8% (3,245,594 units) from the same period of 2025.
AHRI, August 2026 U.S. Heating and Cooling Equipment Shipment Data · 2026
Homeowner demand and water damage claims
- 24
Plumbing was the most-planned home project category for 2026, named by 28% of homeowners surveyed, ahead of appliances (25%) and HVAC (20%).
Housecall Pro survey of 1,100+ homeowners (vendor research), as reported by Contracting Business · 2026
- 25
Repairs made up roughly 87% of plumbing jobs in Housecall Pro's platform data for Q1 2026.
Housecall Pro, 2026 State of Home Services report (vendor platform data) · 2026
- 26
72% of homeowners would pay more to have an emergency resolved within 24 hours, and 41% say they've delayed a repair that ended up costing more later.
Housecall Pro, 2026 State of Home Services survey (vendor research) · 2026
- 27
Water damage and freezing accounted for 22.6% of homeowners insurance losses in 2023.
Insurance Information Institute, citing ISO/Verisk data · 2023
- 28
The average homeowners claim for water damage and freezing was $15,400 over 2019 to 2023.
Insurance Information Institute, citing ISO/Verisk data · 2019-2023
Key takeaways
Plumbing demand is mostly unplanned. Plumbing topped the list of projects homeowners plan for 2026 in Housecall Pro's survey, repairs made up about 87% of plumbing jobs on its platform, and water damage and freezing drove 22.6% of homeowners insurance losses in 2023. A plumbing shop's phone rings because something is wet, and 72% of homeowners say they'd pay more to get an emergency handled within a day.
The pipeline of new plumbers is slow by design. A 4- or 5-year apprenticeship, then a license that often takes 2 to 5 years of experience, means a shop can't hire its way out of a shortage in one season. BLS projects about 42,000 openings a year, and roughly 18% of employed plumbers are 55 or older. Women make up 3.1% of the trade.
Pay is good and the ceiling is high. The median was $63,800 in May 2025, the top 10% cleared $108,420, and plumbers are often on call nights and weekends. That on-call reality is why after-hours dispatch and a clean emergency rate card matter more in plumbing than in most trades.
Leaks and lead lines are steady work. EPA says the average household's leaks waste more than 9,300 gallons a year and 9% of homes lose 50 gallons or more a day. There are still an estimated 4 million lead service lines in the ground, and $15 billion in federal money set aside to replace them. Water heaters are a big replacement market too: AHRI counted more than 9.2 million residential gas and electric storage units shipped in 2025, though shipments through August 2026 were running a few percent lower.
Water damage is expensive, which puts plumbers in the middle of insurance claims. The average homeowners claim for water damage and freezing ran $15,400 over 2019 to 2023, according to ISO data published by the Insurance Information Institute. When a burst supply line turns into a five-figure claim, the adjuster wants dated photos, a written cause of loss and an itemized invoice. Shops that capture photos and notes on the job, instead of reconstructing them from memory a week later, have an easier time getting that invoice paid.
Most shops are small. More than three in four plumbing, heating and AC contractor locations had fewer than 10 employees in 2023, plus 178,663 plumbing and HVAC businesses with no payroll. For those shops, the right software for plumbing businesses is usually the tools top shops use to book emergency calls fast, price from a flat-rate book and get paid before the truck leaves.
Methodology
We built this page from primary sources first: the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Current Population Survey and Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries; Census County Business Patterns and Nonemployer Statistics; EPA's WaterSense program and its 2025 lead service line fact sheet; AHRI's monthly shipment releases; and the Insurance Information Institute's summary of ISO claims data. Housecall Pro figures are vendor research and are labeled. Every number was checked against the publisher's page or file in October 2026.
Where we did arithmetic, the stat says so and shows the raw counts. Census combines plumbing and HVAC contractors in one industry code, so business counts here cover both. The older 9.2 million lead line figure comes from EPA's April 2023 needs survey FAQ; we list it only so you can see what replaced it. The water heater total in the takeaways is our sum of AHRI's gas and electric residential storage figures.
How to cite this page
Quote anything you need and credit the original source listed under each stat. If this page helped you find it, please link back as "Plumbing Industry Statistics, BlueCollarStacks, checked October 2026." Spot a revised number? Tell us and we'll fix it.
Questions owners ask
How much do plumbers make?
BLS puts the May 2025 median for plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters at $63,800 a year, or $30.67 an hour. The lowest-paid 10% earned under $44,150 and the top 10% over $108,420. Most of the spread comes from license level, union status, commercial versus residential work, and region.
How long does it take to become a plumber?
Most plumbers come up through a 4- or 5-year apprenticeship, with about 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training a year plus classroom work, according to BLS. Most states then require a license, often with 2 to 5 years of experience and an exam before a plumber can work independently. Rules vary by state and city.
Is there a plumber shortage?
BLS projects about 42,000 openings a year for plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters through 2035, against roughly 510,600 jobs, and about 18% of employed plumbers are already 55 or older. Because licensing takes years, retirements are hard to backfill quickly, which is why many shops feel short even when demand is flat.
How many lead pipes are left in the U.S.?
EPA's current estimate is 4 million lead service lines, based on inventories water systems submitted in 2025: 3 million confirmed lead lines plus 1 million lines of unknown material that EPA predicts are lead. The older figure of about 9.2 million, from EPA's 2023 needs survey, has been superseded.