Every building with running water needs plumbers to install it and keep it working, which is why the trade has held up through economic ups and downs. It also pays well: the median plumber, pipefitter or steamfitter earned $63,800 a year in May 2025, and the top 10% earned more than $108,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The catch is that it takes years to become fully licensed. This guide explains how to become a plumber, what each stage looks like, how licensing works and what you can expect to earn along the way.
What plumbers do, and the specialties within the trade
The BLS groups several related jobs together. They share the same basic skills, but the day-to-day work is different:
- Plumbers install and repair water, gas and drainage piping in homes, businesses and factories, along with fixtures like sinks, toilets and water heaters.
- Pipefitters and steamfitters work mainly in industrial and commercial settings, on pipes that carry chemicals, acids, gases or high-pressure steam.
- Sprinklerfitters install and maintain fire sprinkler systems, a specialty that building codes in every state help keep in demand.
Most people start in general plumbing and specialize later. Residential service work, such as fixing leaks and replacing water heaters, means a different house every few hours. New construction means working with a crew on the same site for weeks. Industrial pipefitting can involve large projects such as power plants and refineries.
How to become a plumber: the typical timeline
Most plumbers learn through a 4- or 5-year apprenticeship. According to the BLS, apprentices complete about 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training each year, plus technical instruction covering safety, local plumbing codes, blueprint reading, math, applied physics and chemistry. Here’s how the years usually unfold:
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| Before you start | Earn a high school diploma or equivalent. Algebra, physics and shop classes help, and many programs give an aptitude test. |
| Year 1 | You’re hired as an apprentice (some states require you to register). You carry materials, dig trenches, cut and fit pipe, and learn safety and basic codes. |
| Years 2–3 | You take on real installations and repairs under supervision, and your pay rises on a set schedule. |
| Years 4–5 | You work with growing independence, finish your classroom hours and prepare for the journey-level license exam. |
| Journeyman | After passing the exam, you can work without direct supervision. The BLS says most states require 2 to 5 years of experience plus an exam to reach this level. |
| Master plumber | With more experience and another exam, you can usually pull permits, supervise others and run your own business. |
Finding an apprenticeship
There are three main ways in, and many plumbers try more than one at the same time:
- Union programs. The United Association (UA), the union for plumbers, pipefitters and sprinklerfitters, runs apprenticeships through local unions and their training centers. They’re often competitive and may only accept applications at certain times of year.
- Non-union programs run by contractor associations or individual plumbing companies, many of them registered with the Department of Labor or a state agency.
- Getting hired as a helper by a licensed plumbing contractor and logging your hours toward a license. This is common in residential plumbing.
You can search for registered openings with the Department of Labor’s Apprenticeship Job Finder. Some people take a short pre-apprenticeship or a plumbing course at a community college first, which can make them stronger applicants and sometimes counts toward their hours. Our guide on how paid apprenticeships work covers what to expect from the application process.
How plumbing licenses work
There’s no national plumbing license. Each state, and sometimes each city, sets its own rules, so the first thing to check is what your state requires. Most states follow a similar ladder of apprentice, journeyman and master, but the hours, exams and fees differ. Here’s what it looks like in one large state:
Example: Texas. Texas plumbers are regulated by the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners, which issues registrations for apprentices and licenses for tradesman, journeyman and master plumbers. To qualify for the journeyman exam, you generally need about 8,000 hours (four years) of work experience under a licensed plumber and 48 hours of board-approved classroom training. The state also offers endorsements for specialties such as medical gas piping and water supply protection.
Licensing exams typically test you on the plumbing code your state uses, and some include a hands-on portion. Most licenses must be renewed regularly, and many states require continuing education. If you plan to move, check whether your new state recognizes your license; you may have to take another exam. For exam preparation, see our guide on how to pass your certification exam.
What plumbers earn
Pay rises sharply with experience. The lowest-paid 10% of plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters, mostly people early in their careers, earned under $44,150 in May 2025, while the top 10% earned more than $108,420. Apprentices typically start at a percentage of the journey-level wage and get raises as they progress.
Where you work matters less than you might think. About two-thirds of plumbers work for plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors, and pay in most sectors is close together:
The bigger differences come from your location, whether you’re union, whether you do emergency calls with overtime pay, and whether you eventually run your own business. About 8% of plumbers are self-employed, and a master plumber with a busy service company can earn well beyond the median. To see how plumbing compares with similar trades, read our breakdown of electrician vs. HVAC vs. plumber.
Job outlook
The BLS projects 7% growth from 2025 to 2035, faster than the average for all occupations, with about 42,000 openings a year. Demand comes from new construction and from the steady need to maintain and repair plumbing in existing homes, and many openings will come from plumbers retiring. Contractors also report difficulty finding them: in a 2026 survey by the Associated General Contractors of America, roughly three-quarters of firms hiring plumbers said the positions were hard to fill. We cover that survey in our look at the trades with the biggest worker shortages.
Is plumbing right for you?
| Reasons it might suit you | Reasons it might not |
|---|---|
| You’re paid while you train, with little or no tuition | Full licensing takes four to five years |
| Strong pay, with a high ceiling for masters and business owners | Work in crawl spaces, trenches and unpleasant conditions |
| Steady demand, since repairs can’t be put off | Nights, weekends and on-call emergency work are common |
| Problem-solving and a different job most days | Injury risks from cuts, burns and falls, according to the BLS |
If the long road to a license puts you off, HVAC offers a shorter route into a similar kind of work; see how to become an HVAC technician. And if you’re still comparing options, our guide on how to choose a trade can help you narrow them down.
Last reviewed October 4, 2026. Sources: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook (May 2025 wage data, 2025–35 projections); Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners; U.S. Department of Labor; Associated General Contractors of America, 2026 Workforce Survey. Licensing rules vary by state and change over time; confirm current requirements with your state’s licensing board.