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How to become a plumber in Illinois
Illinois licenses plumbers at the state level through the Department of Public Health: a registered Apprentice Plumber (age 16, sponsored) leads, after four years and 5,600 hours, to a Licensed Plumber who passes the state exam. Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in Illinois earned a median $99,950 a year in May 2025 ($48.05 an hour).
Plumber licensing in Illinois
The licensing authority is Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). The pages each row was read from are listed under the table, with the date each was read.
| License | What it takes | Experience | Exam | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice Plumber | At least 16, sponsored by an Illinois licensed plumber or approved apprenticeship program; after a maximum apprenticeship period of 6 years, an apprentice who has not applied for the licensing exam, or has failed it, cannot renew the apprentice license. | — | — | $100 |
| Licensed Plumber | At least four years and 5,600 hours as a licensed apprentice (or two years plus approved coursework), a high-school-level education, and a passing state plumbing exam. License fee $150; exam fee $175 for a licensed Illinois apprentice; each fee is submitted to the Department with its application. | 5,600 hrs (at least 4 yrs)That is the apprenticeship route; approved plumbing courses can replace part or all of it. | Illinois plumbing license examination ($175 exam fee for a licensed Illinois apprentice) | $325 |
Renewal. Annual (renew by April 30), with 4 hours of continuing education.
Licensing sources: Illinois Department of Public Health: Plumbing (retrieved 2026-09-16) · Ill. Admin. Code tit. 68 §750.300 (experience) (retrieved 2026-09-16) · Ill. Admin. Code tit. 68, § 750.1100: plumbers' examination and licensure fees (retrieved 2026-10-03). Requirements change; confirm with Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) before you act.
Years to this license at your hours a week → · Every fee here, itemised and totalled → · Compare time and cost across trades and states →
Common questions
Do you need a license to work as a plumber in Illinois?
Illinois licenses plumbers at the state level through the Department of Public Health: a registered Apprentice Plumber (age 16, sponsored) leads, after four years and 5,600 hours, to a Licensed Plumber who passes the state exam.
What does it cost to get licensed as a plumber in Illinois?
The published fees in the table above run from $100 to $325 depending on the tier. Read each tier's requirements for any exam or license-issue fee charged on top.
How long does it take to become a plumber in Illinois?
You can be licensed as Licensed Plumber after 5,600 hours of on-the-job training over at least 4 years. That is the apprenticeship route; approved plumbing courses can replace part or all of it.
How much do plumbers make in Illinois?
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in Illinois earned a median $99,950 a year in May 2025, $48.05 an hour. That median is 57% above the national figure of $63,800, and Illinois ranks 2 of 51 by pay for this trade.
How much do apprentice plumbers make in Illinois?
In fiscal 2023 (October 2022 to September 2023), among registered apprentices in Illinois under the occupation titles the U.S. Department of Labor maps to plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters, 850 apprentices started, at a median $21.20 an hour across the 846 whose starting wage DOL counts. Those who completed that year were paid a median $54.55 an hour at completion (495 completers with an exit wage DOL counts). Wages are in that year's dollars.
What plumbers earn in Illinois
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in Illinois earned a median $99,950 a year in May 2025, $48.05 an hour. 16,750 people held the job, 2.7 for every 1,000 jobs in the state. That median is 57% above the national figure of $63,800, and Illinois ranks 2 of 51 by pay for this trade.
The full wage spread in Illinois
| Point | Hourly | Annual | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $24.16 | $50,250 | A tenth of the workforce earns less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $34.65 | $72,070 | A quarter earn less. |
| Median | $48.05 | $99,950 | Half earn less, half earn more. |
| 75th percentile | $57.72 | $120,050 | A quarter earn more. |
| 90th percentile | $60.79 | $126,430 | A tenth earn more than this. |
| Mean | $44.91 | $93,400 | The average. Pulled up by the top earners. |
Annual figures are the hourly rate times 2,080 hours, BLS's full-time year. Overtime is inside the survey's earnings but not separated out.
Pay by metro area in Illinois
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN employs the most plumbers of the 8 metro areas based in Illinois that BLS publishes, 12,750, at a median $103,380 a year.
| Metro | Employed | Median annual | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 12,750 | $103,380 | $53,960 | $127,200 |
| Peoria, IL | 560 | $85,090 | $47,790 | $117,300 |
| Rockford, IL | 440 | $94,230 | $50,930 | $120,140 |
| Champaign-Urbana, IL | 390 | $95,530 | $50,680 | $112,850 |
| Springfield, IL | 220 | $94,370 | $48,400 | $121,250 |
| Bloomington, IL | 180 | $77,700 | $47,190 | $102,730 |
| Decatur, IL | 180 | $76,750 | $49,720 | $116,450 |
| Kankakee, IL | 110 | $81,620 | $38,510 | $120,290 |
Metropolitan statistical areas as BLS publishes them in the same May 2025 estimates. A metro that crosses a state line is listed only under its primary state, so part of a neighboring state's metro can sit outside this table. Areas outside any metro are not shown. Listed under another state but reaching into Illinois: St. Louis, MO-IL, Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL, Paducah, KY-IL and Cape Girardeau, MO-IL.
Illinois against its neighbors on the pay ladder
| # | State | Median annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $101,020 | 1,010 |
| 2 | Illinois | $99,950 | 16,750 |
| 3 | Oregon | $97,050 | 5,370 |
| 4 | Minnesota | $94,410 | 10,720 |
| 5 | Alaska | $93,920 | 1,200 |
The complete ranking is on the Plumbers and pipefitters page.
Against the national figure
| Figure | Illinois | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual | $99,950 | $63,800 |
| Median hourly | $48.05 | $30.67 |
| 10th percentile, annual | $50,250 | $44,150 |
| 90th percentile, annual | $126,430 | $108,420 |
| Employed | 16,750 | 465,840 |
Apprenticeships in Illinois
U.S. Department of Labor records list 2,547 registered apprentices active in Illinois in fiscal year 2024 (October 2023 to September 2024) under the occupation titles DOL maps to plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters (SOC 47-2152). The file's fiscal 2024 records largely stop after February 2024. In fiscal 2023, the latest year the file holds in full, 850 apprentices started, at a median $21.20 an hour across the 846 whose starting wage DOL counts. Those who completed that year were paid a median $54.55 an hour at completion (495 completers with an exit wage DOL counts).
Find a registered program: DOL's Apprenticeship Finder → · What those wages come to at your hours a week → · Every state's count and wages for this trade →
Wages are DOL's own hourly figures in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Which wages DOL counts, which titles count and how the state is assigned are on the data page.
Other trades in Illinois
Electricians ($99,560) · HVAC technicians ($77,410) · Welders ($51,320) · Truck drivers (CDL) ($60,320) · Lineworkers (power-line installers) ($108,120) · Elevator installers ($133,690) · Ironworkers ($101,850) · Sheet metal workers ($86,630) · Carpenters ($79,000) · Brickmasons and blockmasons ($89,980) · Auto service technicians ($49,170) · Diesel mechanics ($64,340) · Heavy equipment operators ($97,740) · Machinists ($58,520)
See all 15 ranked by pay in Illinois.
The pay and employment figures on this page are the May 2025 BLS estimates, apart from the apprenticeship figures, which are DOL's; the licensing detail is read from the pages listed in the licensing section, each with the date it was read. See how the numbers are built.