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How to become a plumber in Massachusetts

Massachusetts licenses plumbers through the Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters: an apprentice license before the apprenticeship starts, a journeyman license after 6,800 hours as a licensed apprentice and 550 hours of theory taken over at least four years, and a master license after a year as a journeyman. Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in Massachusetts earned a median $93,880 a year in May 2025 ($45.14 an hour).

State license for workers

Required

a passage on the pages read says so

On-the-job hours

6,800 hours

for Journeyman Plumber, the first license on the main path that takes 2,000 or more, over at least 4 years. The four-year floor is the education's: the 550 hours of theory must span at least four years.

Published fees, first steps

$14

for Apprentice Plumber; published fees only, not a total

Median pay

$93,880

$45.14 an hour, May 2025

Plumber licensing in Massachusetts

The licensing authority is Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters (Division of Occupational Licensure). 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	Apply for the apprentice license before starting the apprenticeship, with a Statement of Employing Master form. Non-refundable application fee $14. Begin the theory education within nine months of the license being issued.	—	—	$14
Journeyman Plumber	A high school diploma or equivalent, 550 hours of plumbing and gas fitting theory taken over at least four years, and 6,800 hours of work as a licensed apprentice under the direct supervision of a Massachusetts master plumber (or a journeyman plumber employed by one). Work and education generally count only when completed together, year by year: 1,700 hours of work for each year with 165 hours of education (Tier 1 may be taken before the apprentice license). Then schedule the journeyman exam through PSI Exams. Application fee $31; the $52 license fee is paid at the test center once you pass the exam.	6,800 hrs (at least 4 yrs)The four-year floor is the education's: the 550 hours of theory must span at least four years.	Journeyman plumber exam (PSI Exams)	$83
Master Plumber	Hold a Massachusetts journeyman plumber license, with at least one year and 1,700 hours of experience as a journeyman, and complete the 110-hour Tier Five course. Application fee $31; the $78 license fee is paid at the test center once you pass the exam.	1,700 hrs	Master plumber exam (PSI Exams)	$109

Renewal. Every two years: licenses can be renewed from February 1st of every even-numbered year, by May 1st, with 12 hours of approved continuing education ($52 for a journeyman, $78 for a master).

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 Massachusetts?

What does it cost to get licensed as a plumber in Massachusetts?

The published fees in the table above run from $14 to $109 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 Massachusetts?

You can be licensed as Journeyman Plumber after 6,800 hours of on-the-job training over at least 4 years. The four-year floor is the education's: the 550 hours of theory must span at least four years.

How much do plumbers make in Massachusetts?

Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in Massachusetts earned a median $93,880 a year in May 2025, $45.14 an hour. That median is 47% above the national figure of $63,800, and Massachusetts ranks 6 of 51 by pay for this trade.

What plumbers earn in Massachusetts

Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in Massachusetts earned a median $93,880 a year in May 2025, $45.14 an hour. 13,460 people held the job, 3.7 for every 1,000 jobs in the state. That median is 47% above the national figure of $63,800, and Massachusetts ranks 6 of 51 by pay for this trade.

Median annual

$93,880

$45.14 an hour

Rank by pay

of 51 with a published median

Employed in MA

13,460

3.7 per 1,000 jobs

Location quotient

1.24

1.00 = national concentration

The full wage spread in Massachusetts

Point	Hourly	Annual	Meaning
10th percentile	$25.01	$52,010	A tenth of the workforce earns less than this.
25th percentile	$29.74	$61,860	A quarter earn less.
Median	$45.14	$93,880	Half earn less, half earn more.
75th percentile	$52.13	$108,430	A quarter earn more.
90th percentile	$64.94	$135,080	A tenth earn more than this.
Mean	$43.46	$90,410	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 Massachusetts

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH employs the most plumbers of the 6 metro areas based in Massachusetts that BLS publishes, 9,200, at a median $96,760 a year.

Metro	Employed	Median annual	10th pct	90th pct
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	9,200	$96,760	$52,270	$143,950
Worcester, MA	1,370	$82,260	$48,860	$119,980
Springfield, MA	670	$92,080	$52,760	$118,820
Barnstable Town, MA	640	$76,270	$47,020	$107,400
Pittsfield, MA	230	$81,970	$47,950	$121,070
Amherst Town-Northampton, MA	190	$78,570	$48,760	$109,340

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 Massachusetts: Providence-Warwick, RI-MA.

Massachusetts against its neighbors on the pay ladder

#	State	Median annual	Employed
3	Oregon	$97,050	5,370
4	Minnesota	$94,410	10,720
5	Alaska	$93,920	1,200
6	Massachusetts	$93,880	13,460
7	Wisconsin	$81,210	10,210
8	Washington	$81,030	12,470
9	Michigan	$80,190	14,120

The complete ranking is on the Plumbers and pipefitters page.

Against the national figure

Figure	Massachusetts	United States
Median annual	$93,880	$63,800
Median hourly	$45.14	$30.67
10th percentile, annual	$52,010	$44,150
90th percentile, annual	$135,080	$108,420
Employed	13,460	465,840

Apprenticeships in Massachusetts

U.S. Department of Labor records list 154 registered apprentices active in Massachusetts 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, 48 apprentices started; 48 have a starting wage DOL counts, fewer than the 50 a median needs here. Of those who completed that year, 21 have an exit wage DOL counts, fewer than the 50 a median needs.

Find a registered program: DOL's Apprenticeship Finder → · Every state's count and wages for this trade →

Which wages DOL counts, which titles count and how the state is assigned are on the data page.

Other trades in Massachusetts

Electricians ($79,420) · HVAC technicians ($77,300) · Welders ($62,570) · Truck drivers (CDL) ($63,030) · Lineworkers (power-line installers) ($110,210) · Elevator installers ($138,420) · Ironworkers ($120,840) · Sheet metal workers ($82,100) · Carpenters ($75,200) · Brickmasons and blockmasons ($94,950) · Auto service technicians ($60,760) · Diesel mechanics ($73,270) · Heavy equipment operators ($76,820) · Machinists ($67,270)

See all 15 ranked by pay in Massachusetts.

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.