A plumber in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara has a median wage of $107,560. In Ponce the median is $29,690. That is a 3.62-fold difference for the same job title, which is unusually wide even by the standards of a country this large — and it means a national average for this role is close to meaningless.
Ten per cent of plumbers earn below $44,150 and ten per cent above $108,420 — a 2.46× band. The upside from median to 90th percentile is 70%, which is a normal amount of room for experience and specialisation to matter. An offer below the 25th percentile is worth questioning; one above the 75th is worth taking seriously.
The top of the table is spread across several states rather than concentrated in one, which points away from a pure cost-of-living story. Where a role pays 3.62× more in one market than another without a single expensive state dominating, the usual cause is local demand density — a few metros where the industry clusters and employers compete for the same small pool. The plumber concentration table further down shows where that is happening.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $107,560 | $51.71 | 1.13 | 3,830 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $103,380 | $49.70 | 0.94 | 12,750 |
| Bellingham WA | $102,750 | $49.40 | 1.97 | 540 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI | $101,630 | $48.86 | 1.15 | 6,730 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro OR-WA | $101,010 | $48.56 | 1.27 | 4,600 |
| Kennewick-Richland WA | $97,130 | $46.70 | 2.18 | 840 |
| Bloomington IN | $96,980 | $46.63 | 1.45 | 320 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $96,760 | $46.52 | 1.14 | 9,200 |
| Fairbanks-College AK | $96,670 | $46.48 | 1.85 | 200 |
| Champaign-Urbana IL | $95,530 | $45.93 | 1.24 | 390 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $95,230 | $45.78 | 1.02 | 6,350 |
| Springfield IL | $94,370 | $45.37 | 0.72 | 220 |
| Rockford IL | $94,230 | $45.31 | 1.08 | 440 |
| Anchorage AK | $93,600 | $45.00 | 1.21 | 640 |
| Northwest Illinois nonmetropolitan area | $93,590 | $45.00 | 1.18 | 450 |
| Eau Claire WI | $92,720 | $44.58 | 0.81 | 210 |
| Bend OR | $92,330 | $44.39 | 0.74 | 240 |
| Springfield MA | $92,080 | $44.27 | 1.1 | 670 |
| Appleton WI | $91,750 | $44.11 | 2.39 | 890 |
| Northeast Minnesota nonmetropolitan area | $91,630 | $44.05 | 1.94 | 260 |
| Sheboygan WI | $91,530 | $44.01 | 0.8 | 150 |
| Kokomo IN | $91,470 | $43.98 | 3.77 | 400 |
| East-Central Montana nonmetropolitan area | $91,390 | $43.94 | 0.52 | 90 |
| Kalamazoo-Portage MI | $90,730 | $43.62 | 2.38 | 870 |
| Green Bay WI | $90,570 | $43.54 | 1.4 | 730 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ponce PR | $29,690 | $14.27 | 0.23 | 40 |
| Mayaguez PR | $30,120 | $14.48 | 0.21 | 30 |
| Aguadilla PR | $31,660 | $15.22 | 0.26 | 40 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $32,300 | $15.53 | 0.39 | 800 |
| Valdosta GA | $46,070 | $22.15 | 0.5 | 80 |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission TX | $46,110 | $22.17 | 0.41 | 360 |
| West Delta Mississippi nonmetropolitan area | $46,120 | $22.17 | 0.84 | 230 |
| Laredo TX | $46,350 | $22.28 | 0.37 | 120 |
| North Arkansas nonmetropolitan area | $46,600 | $22.41 | 0.62 | 220 |
| Hot Springs AR | $46,820 | $22.51 | 1.18 | 140 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kokomo IN | $91,470 | $43.98 | 3.77 | 400 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard WA | $82,960 | $39.89 | 3.72 | 1,040 |
| St. Cloud MN | $90,230 | $43.38 | 2.66 | 830 |
| Gulfport-Biloxi MS | $63,040 | $30.31 | 2.61 | 1,240 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur TX | $62,220 | $29.92 | 2.55 | 1,250 |
| Paducah KY-IL | $82,120 | $39.48 | 2.5 | 380 |
| Appleton WI | $91,750 | $44.11 | 2.39 | 890 |
| Kalamazoo-Portage MI | $90,730 | $43.62 | 2.38 | 870 |
| Norwich-New London-Willimantic CT | $76,980 | $37.01 | 2.31 | 870 |
| Baton Rouge LA | $74,240 | $35.69 | 2.27 | 2,790 |
| Barnstable Town MA | $76,270 | $36.67 | 2.26 | 640 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk VA-NC | $61,870 | $29.75 | 2.23 | 5,100 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $78,610 | $37.79 | 0.74 | 21,040 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $71,110 | $34.19 | 0.84 | 15,690 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $103,380 | $49.70 | 0.94 | 12,750 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $61,250 | $29.45 | 0.99 | 11,980 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $61,300 | $29.47 | 1.11 | 10,980 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $71,860 | $34.55 | 1 | 9,420 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ | $63,750 | $30.65 | 1.3 | 9,270 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $96,760 | $46.52 | 1.14 | 9,200 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $74,860 | $35.99 | 0.82 | 7,150 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI | $101,630 | $48.86 | 1.15 | 6,730 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $95,230 | $45.78 | 1.02 | 6,350 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $57,760 | $27.77 | 0.7 | 5,930 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 47-2152. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates cover 521 of 528 metropolitan areas — near-complete coverage, which means the ranges above are reliable rather than drawn from a handful of markets. Read the methodology.