Plumber.
Indianapolis.
$55,000
median salary, 13% below the national average
$43,000 to $72,000. Last updated August 2026.
Get the job.
Data points to own the conversation.
If you are evaluating a Plumber offer in Indianapolis, IN, here is the reality: $43,000 to $72,000, with $55,000 as the midpoint. 13% below the national average. Licensed master plumbers earn 25 to 35% more than journeymen, with commercial and industrial specialization pushing pay to the top of the range. Do not accept the first number. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Plumber in Indianapolis, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $76,980 for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (SOC 47-2152) in the Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN metropolitan area, based on 4,010 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$46,740
25th percentile
$59,830
Median
$76,980
75th percentile
$97,480
90th percentile
$102,370
Workers surveyed
4,010
Why this differs from the estimate above. The Orbyt estimate of $55,000 is 29% lower than this published figure. That is usually not an error in either number: BLS reports by occupation code, and Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters covers a different population than the Plumber title as it is typically advertised. Both are shown, unreconciled, so you can judge which one describes the job you mean.
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (SOC 47-2152) rather than Plumber specifically. The Indianapolis range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 47-2152Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $49,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$36,000
to $44,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$47,000
to $58,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$61,000
to $72,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$69,000
to $85,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $14,000 to the total package.
Base
$55,000
Equity
$8,000
Bonus
$5,000
Signing
$1,000
Estimated total: $69,000
How Indianapolis compares.
Indianapolis, IN
$55,000
Cost of living: 9% below average
National Average
$63,000
Indianapolis is $8,000 below
Plumber salary by city.
Salary by role in Indianapolis.
What you should know.
Here is what the Plumber market actually looks like in Indianapolis. Indianapolis has a diversified economy led by healthcare, life sciences, and motorsports engineering. Eli Lilly's headquarters drives a major pharmaceutical and biotech cluster. The city's extremely affordable cost of living means that even moderate salaries deliver strong purchasing power, making it an underrated destination for professionals seeking financial stability. Licensed master plumbers earn 25 to 35% more than journeymen, with commercial and industrial specialization pushing pay to the top of the range. Plumbers who handle gas line work, backflow prevention, or medical gas systems command premium rates. Union membership in major metro areas provides the strongest wage floors.
Apprentice plumbers start at $32,000 to $40,000 during their four to five year apprenticeship. Journeymen earn $46,000 to $65,000, while master plumbers reach $65,000 to $85,000. Plumbing contractors who run their own businesses can earn $90,000 to $150,000 or more. In Indianapolis, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
Base salary is not the full picture. Union plumbers receive health insurance, pension contributions, and annuity funds worth $15,000 to $25,000 annually on top of wages. Overtime during emergency calls can add $8,000 to $15,000 per year, especially for on-call residential specialists. And on the tax side: indiana has a flat 3.05% state income tax, one of the lowest in the country. Marion County adds about 2.02% in local taxes. The combined rate remains well below most major metros. When someone quotes you $55,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Benchmark against pharmaceutical industry pay scales. Eli Lilly and the biotech cluster set high compensation floors that ripple across all professional roles in Indianapolis. The range for Plumbers in Indianapolis runs from $43,000 to $72,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
Common questions.
Plumber salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Indianapolis.
Related salary pages
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Plumber Salary in Indianapolis, IN." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/plumber/indianapolis
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