This plumber career guide covers various aspects of being a plumber from their salary ranges to the impact of industry and experience and from the working schedule to job benefits. After reading this article you should have a better idea of what a plumber earns and if it is a good job.
How Much Does a Plumber Make per Year by Country?
| Plumber Salary | US | Canada | UK | Australia | New Zealand | India | South Africa |
| Hourly Pay | $20.03 | C$27.67 ($20.17) | E11.16 ($12.20) | AU$28.29 ($20.89) | NZ$25.48 ($17.48) | Rs 151.62* ($2.36) | R48.61 ($3.63) |
| Annual Pay | $50,568 | C$57,856 ($42,177) | E23,675 ($25,885) | AU$58,597 ($43,262) | NZ$50,444 ($34,614) | Rs 315,384 ($4,914) | R121,006 ($9,042) |
Pay information denoted with a (*) indicates the hourly pay was correlated from the annual salary.
Plumber Salary Influencing Factors
Plumbers self-report pay information to Payscale for all of the tables listed below. The only country with limited data was India.
1. Location
How Much Does a Plumber Make in the US?
| Plumber Salary US | Per Year | Per Hour |
| Minimum | $28,913 | $13.17 |
| Maximum | $91,775 | $32.50 |
| Bonus/Tip | $245.24 to $5,817 | No additional pay |
| Overtime | No additional pay | $18.46 to $50.04 |
| Total Pay | $28,755 to $76,987 | |
How Much Does a Plumber Make in Canada?
| Plumber Salary Canada | Per Year | Per Hour |
| Minimum | C$31,500 | C$15.95 |
| Maximum | C$96,023 | C$38.65 |
| Bonus/Tip | NZ$2,500 | No additional pay |
| Overtime | No additional pay | C$25.98 to C$68.87 |
| Total Pay | C$33,566 to C$85,309 | |
How Much Does a Plumber Make in the UK?
| Plumber Salary UK | Per Year | Per Hour |
| Minimum | E12,435 | E6.89 |
| Maximum | E34,355 | E17.62 |
| Bonus/Tip | E200.00 to E7,122 | No additional pay |
| Overtime | No additional pay | E9.57 to E23.32 |
| Total Pay | E13,847 to E36,196 | |
How Much Does a Plumber Make in Australia?
| Plumber Salary Australia | Per Year | Per Hour |
| Minimum | AU$30,579 | AU$19.66 |
| Maximum | AU$82,838 | AU$40.40 |
| Bonus/Tip | AU$1,000 | No additional pay |
| Overtime | No additional pay | AU$28.78 to AU$61.25 |
| Total Pay | AU$39,609 to AU$85,788 | |
How Much Does a Plumber make in New Zealand?
| Plumber Salary New Zealand | Per Year | Per Hour |
| Minimum | NZ$39,149 | NZ$18.09 |
| Maximum | NZ$81,703 | NZ$34.61 |
| Bonus/Tip | NZ$2,500 | No additional pay |
| Overtime | No additional pay | NZ$22.47 to NZ$48.94 |
| Total Pay | NZ$38,482 to NZ$78,672 | |
How Much Does a Plumber make in India?
| Plumber Salary India | Per Year | |
| Average | Rs 315,384 | |
| Bonus/Tip | No additional pay | |
| Overtime | No additional pay | |
| Total Pay | Rs 315,384 | |
How Much Does a Plumber Make in South Africa?
| Plumber Salary South Africa | Per Year | Per Hour |
| Minimum | R51,896 | R24.09 |
| Maximum | R222,109 | R175.61 |
| Bonus/Tip | R1,163 to R231,381 | R3.85 |
| Overtime | No additional pay | R15.47 to R201.34 |
| Total Pay | R51,393 to R231,381 | |
2. Experience
The pay in Australia for entry-level plumbers is AU$50,000 and for late-career professionals, it is AU$71,000. Pay in New Zealand increases on a similar scale from NZ$44,000 to NZ$60,000. The salary peak in Canada is at 5 years of experience at C$67,000. However, those who worked longer reported a lower salary. In the United Kingdom, pay increases linearly with experience from 17 percent below the average to 25 percent above the average. Their salary in the United States increases from $35,000 to $55,000. Finally, in South Africa, they earn from R100,000 to R170,000.
The most common years of experience in Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand was 5-9 years. On the other hand, in Canada and the United Kingdom, those who have 1-4 years of experience entered their data the most. While in the United States, the most common experience level was 10-19 years.
3. Industry
Plumbers work exclusively with plumbing and watering systems. They had an industry-wide employment of about 425,000 jobs in the United States in 2014. Theirs is a dangerous working environment because they frequently are exposed to harmful conditions and harsh chemicals. Moreover, they need to be able to lift heavy materials and work in all environments.
Plumbers are just recently becoming recognized as a professional body of workers in India.
However, there are certain locations where the industry pays more. The promising locations in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, and South Africa are Gold Coast, Edmonton, Manchester, Seattle, and Pretoria, respectively. Conversely, lower salaries are seen in Geelong, Vancouver, Bournemouth, San Diego, and Durban, AU.
Schedule & Working Hours
Most plumbers work full-time and some are self-employed. Self-employed plumbers get to set their own hours. However, they will also be the ones who report in the event of a plumbing emergency. Plumbers are expected to work at all hours of the day and even on weekends and holidays. As evidenced by the countries reporting overtime hours above, this is extremely common.
Bonuses & Benefits
One of the biggest benefits of being a plumber is that it is a job available to people without the funds to pursue a full collegiate degree. After a short period of training, they are able to enter the workforce. In addition, plumbers get paid while they are training. Because there are not loans, the salary goes further than it would for someone who has student debt.
Many plumbers are self-employed. Thus they must pursue their own benefits like healthcare and retirement. Those who work for a company may receive some benefits, but only after a period of time.
The table below shows healthcare benefits by country. A (–) indicates that the health care benefits were not available.
| Country | United States | Canada | United Kingdom | Australia | New Zealand | India | South Africa |
| Medical | 53 | 60 | 6 | 9 | 9 | — | 20 |
| Dental | 32 | 55 | 2 | 1 | 4 | — | 5 |
| Vision | 25 | 38 | 3 | 1 | 4 | — | 5 |
| None | 45 | 36 | 93 | 91 | 87 | — | 78 |
Career Outlook
The projected job growth for plumbers in the United States is 12 percent through the year 2024. Plumbers are needed for all new construction and for improving water efficiency in existing structures. For example, if new fire regulations require a sprinkling system to be installed, the plumber completes that job.
Plumbing is definitely a male dominated profession. In the United States, 100 percent of reported salaries are from male and in Australia and South Africa, it is 99 percent. Finally, in Canada, the ratio is 98 percent male.
Because plumbing is a vocational profession there is not much room for advancement to other careers. The training to become a plumber focuses only on the skills needed to be a plumber. They could become the lead plumber.
Conclusion
Plumbers earn a high salary compared to the education required to have a plumber career. They will function as an apprentice until they have completed their training and are ready to start working on their own. A similar indispensable job you might want to consider it that of an electrician.
