Home › Trades › Plumbers and pipefitters › Pennsylvania
How to become a plumber in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has no statewide plumber license and no state plumbing board. Municipalities and counties license plumbers, so it varies by place. Two sourced examples: the City of Philadelphia and Allegheny County (Pittsburgh). Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in Pennsylvania earned a median $68,080 a year in May 2025 ($32.73 an hour).
Plumber licensing in Pennsylvania
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Journeyman Plumber (Philadelphia) | Four years registered as a Philadelphia apprentice plumber, then pass the ICC journeyman exam. Renews annually. | — | Journeyman Plumber Examination (International Code Council) | $126 |
| Master Plumber (Philadelphia) | One year registered as a Philadelphia journeyman plumber, then pass the ICC master plumber exam. Renews annually. | — | Master Plumber Examination (International Code Council) | $303 |
| Journeyman Plumber (Allegheny County, Pittsburgh) | 576 hours of schooling and four years working for a registered master plumber, then the county journeyman exam (offered twice a year, $133 a sitting). Renews annually on your birthday for $125. | 576 hrs | Allegheny County Journeyman Plumbers Examination | $133 |
| Master Plumber (Allegheny County, Pittsburgh) | Two full years of journeyman experience, then the county master exam (offered twice a year, $265 a sitting). Renews annually on your birthday for $375. | — | Allegheny County Master Plumber Examination | $265 |
Reciprocity. No statewide license means no statewide reciprocity; Philadelphia recognizes comparable authorization from other jurisdictions.
Renewal. Annual (varies by locality).
Licensing sources: City of Philadelphia Master Plumber License (retrieved 2026-09-16) · Allegheny County Health Department Plumbing licensing (retrieved 2026-09-16) · PA L&I Contractor Licensing (Uniform Construction Code) (retrieved 2026-09-23) · Philadelphia: Get a journeyman plumber license (retrieved 2026-09-24). Requirements change; confirm with the city or county where you will work before you act.
The steps in order, with exams, fees and renewal → · 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 Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania has no statewide plumber license and no state plumbing board. Municipalities and counties license plumbers, so it varies by place. Two sourced examples: the City of Philadelphia and Allegheny County (Pittsburgh).
What does it cost to get licensed as a plumber in Pennsylvania?
The published fees in the table above run from $126 to $303 depending on the tier. They are charged by Philadelphia and Allegheny County, not by the state. 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 Pennsylvania?
It depends on which credential you need and the training and testing each step takes; the full path is in the table above.
How much do plumbers make in Pennsylvania?
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in Pennsylvania earned a median $68,080 a year in May 2025, $32.73 an hour. That median is 7% above the national figure of $63,800, and Pennsylvania ranks 18 of 51 by pay for this trade.
How much do apprentice plumbers make in Pennsylvania?
In fiscal 2023 (October 2022 to September 2023), among registered apprentices in Pennsylvania under the occupation titles the U.S. Department of Labor maps to plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters, 462 apprentices started, at a median $20.68 an hour across the 462 whose starting wage DOL counts. Those who completed that year were paid a median $41.50 an hour at completion (340 completers with an exit wage DOL counts). Wages are in that year's dollars.
What plumbers earn in Pennsylvania
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in Pennsylvania earned a median $68,080 a year in May 2025, $32.73 an hour. 13,620 people held the job, 2.2 for every 1,000 jobs in the state. That median is 7% above the national figure of $63,800, and Pennsylvania ranks 18 of 51 by pay for this trade.
The full wage spread in Pennsylvania
| Point | Hourly | Annual | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $22.49 | $46,770 | A tenth of the workforce earns less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $27.83 | $57,880 | A quarter earn less. |
| Median | $32.73 | $68,080 | Half earn less, half earn more. |
| 75th percentile | $44.15 | $91,820 | A quarter earn more. |
| 90th percentile | $64.48 | $134,110 | A tenth earn more than this. |
| Mean | $37.05 | $77,050 | 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 Pennsylvania
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD employs the most plumbers of the 16 metro areas based in Pennsylvania that BLS publishes, 7,150, at a median $74,860 a year.
| Metro | Employed | Median annual | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 7,150 | $74,860 | $48,400 | $142,210 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 2,910 | $70,100 | $46,910 | $107,870 |
| Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | 950 | $73,560 | $48,080 | $104,630 |
| Lancaster, PA | 820 | $61,950 | $46,220 | $98,740 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | 730 | $64,940 | $46,460 | $138,040 |
| Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA | 450 | $61,160 | $43,690 | $98,150 |
| York-Hanover, PA | 420 | $70,100 | $47,370 | $147,310 |
| Reading, PA | 360 | $62,370 | $46,410 | $101,750 |
| Erie, PA | 280 | $66,410 | $42,670 | $97,300 |
| Chambersburg, PA | 140 | $60,200 | $37,560 | $85,460 |
| State College, PA | 130 | $57,560 | $44,580 | $94,510 |
| Williamsport, PA | 120 | $58,730 | $39,430 | $78,510 |
| Lebanon, PA | 100 | $62,660 | $42,310 | $96,500 |
| Johnstown, PA | 90 | $59,970 | $42,310 | $88,370 |
| Altoona, PA | 80 | $61,430 | $40,100 | $80,700 |
| Gettysburg, PA | 50 | $61,630 | $37,170 | $84,120 |
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.
Pennsylvania against its neighbors on the pay ladder
| # | State | Median annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Rhode Island | $76,470 | 1,820 |
| 16 | Indiana | $76,320 | 11,280 |
| 17 | California | $72,830 | 47,660 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | $68,080 | 13,620 |
| 19 | New Hampshire | $66,810 | 1,950 |
| 20 | Missouri | $66,790 | 8,310 |
| 21 | Maryland | $65,400 | 11,420 |
The complete ranking is on the Plumbers and pipefitters page.
Against the national figure
| Figure | Pennsylvania | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual | $68,080 | $63,800 |
| Median hourly | $32.73 | $30.67 |
| 10th percentile, annual | $46,770 | $44,150 |
| 90th percentile, annual | $134,110 | $108,420 |
| Employed | 13,620 | 465,840 |
Apprenticeships in Pennsylvania
U.S. Department of Labor records list 1,966 registered apprentices active in Pennsylvania 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, 462 apprentices started, at a median $20.68 an hour across the 462 whose starting wage DOL counts. Those who completed that year were paid a median $41.50 an hour at completion (340 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 Pennsylvania
Electricians ($67,600) · HVAC technicians ($62,400) · Welders ($52,900) · Truck drivers (CDL) ($58,580) · Lineworkers (power-line installers) ($106,230) · Elevator installers ($117,250) · Ironworkers ($82,970) · Sheet metal workers ($61,400) · Carpenters ($59,370) · Brickmasons and blockmasons ($69,560) · Auto service technicians ($49,800) · Diesel mechanics ($61,740) · Heavy equipment operators ($60,530) · Machinists ($57,810)
See all 15 ranked by pay in Pennsylvania.
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.