Specific Trades
Plumber
A tradesperson who installs, repairs, and maintains piping systems for water, gas, drainage, and sewage in buildings and infrastructure.
What It Means for Trade Workers
Plumbers are essential tradespeople responsible for the systems that deliver clean water, remove waste, and distribute natural gas in homes, commercial buildings, and industrial facilities. Classified under SOC code 47-2152, plumbers work with a variety of materials including copper, PVC, PEX, cast iron, and stainless steel, and they must understand building codes, blueprint reading, and the physics of fluid dynamics. A plumbing apprenticeship typically runs four to five years, combining supervised jobsite work with classroom instruction in plumbing codes, mathematics, safety, and pipe-fitting techniques. After completing the apprenticeship and passing a journeyman licensing exam, plumbers can work independently. Many go on to earn a master plumber license, which is required in most states to own and operate a plumbing business, pull permits, and supervise other plumbers. Plumbing offers diverse career paths including residential service and repair, new construction, commercial and industrial piping, medical gas installation, and fire sprinkler systems. The aging water infrastructure across the United States, combined with new construction and retrofitting demands, keeps plumber demand high. TradePay tracks plumber wages across 30 metro areas, and the data shows consistently strong pay with above-average Trade Pay Scores in most markets.
Frequently Asked Questions
A tradesperson who installs, repairs, and maintains piping systems for water, gas, drainage, and sewage in buildings and infrastructure.
Plumbers are essential tradespeople responsible for the systems that deliver clean water, remove waste, and distribute natural gas in homes, commercial buildings, and industrial facilities. Classified under SOC code 47-2152, plumbers work with a variety of materials including copper, PVC, PEX, cast iron, and stainless steel, and they must understand building codes, blueprint reading, and the physics of fluid dynamics. A plumbing apprenticeship typically runs four to five years, combining supervised jobsite work with classroom instruction in plumbing codes, mathematics, safety, and pipe-fitting techniques.