Plumber.
Philadelphia.
$70,000
median salary, 11% above the national average
$54,000 to $91,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
Plumber pay in Philadelphia ranges from $54,000 to $91,000 in 2026. The median is $70,000, 11% above the national average. Philadelphia combines a robust healthcare and life sciences sector with established finance and higher education institutions. Every dollar in that range is negotiable if you come prepared. 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 Philadelphia, 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 $74,860 for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (SOC 47-2152) in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metropolitan area, based on 7,150 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$48,400
25th percentile
$60,900
Median
$74,860
75th percentile
$103,770
90th percentile
$142,210
Workers surveyed
7,150
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 Philadelphia 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 $63,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$46,000
to $56,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$60,000
to $74,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$77,000
to $91,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$88,000
to $109,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $17,000 to the total package.
Base
$70,000
Equity
$10,000
Bonus
$6,000
Signing
$1,000
Estimated total: $87,000
How Philadelphia compares.
Philadelphia, PA
$70,000
Cost of living: 9% above average
National Average
$63,000
Philadelphia is $7,000 above
Plumber salary by city.
Salary by role in Philadelphia.
What you should know.
Before you negotiate a Plumber offer in Philadelphia, understand the terrain. Philadelphia combines a robust healthcare and life sciences sector with established finance and higher education institutions. The city's pharmaceutical corridor is among the strongest in the country. Tech growth has accelerated, particularly in health tech and enterprise software, offering salaries that stretch further than in nearby New York. 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 Philadelphia, 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: pennsylvania has a flat 3.07% state income tax, but Philadelphia adds a 3.75% city wage tax for residents. This combined local burden is worth factoring into salary negotiations. When someone quotes you $70,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Account for the Philadelphia wage tax in your ask. Request a 5 to 8% premium over suburban offers to offset the city's local tax on all earned income. The range for Plumbers in Philadelphia runs from $54,000 to $91,000. 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
Considering a related role?
- A Sales Representative in Philadelphia earns $71,000 (1% more)
- The highest-paying role in Philadelphia is CTO at $314,000
Common questions.
Plumber salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Philadelphia.
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 Philadelphia, PA." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/plumber/philadelphia
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