Plumber

Field & Trades

Installs and maintains the pipes and fixtures that bring in clean water and carry waste out, work that has to be right the first time, since most of it disappears behind a wall.

What is a Plumber?

A Plumber installs and maintains the water supply, drainage, and gas piping systems in a building, everything from the rough-in piping run through framed walls before drywall goes up, to the sinks, toilets, and water heaters installed at the very end of a project. Like electrical work, plumbing has to pass inspection against a plumbing code before it can be covered up, and most commercial plumbers work for a plumbing subcontractor rather than the general contractor directly.

What they do

• Run water supply and drain-waste-vent (DWV) piping through framed walls and floors before drywall (rough-in)
• Install fixtures, sinks, toilets, water heaters, backflow preventers, during trim-out
• Read plumbing drawings and isometric diagrams to plan pipe routing before cutting anything
• Pressure-test and inspect piping systems before they're covered up or put into service
• Troubleshoot leaks, clogs, and pressure problems and trace them back to the source
• Coordinate with electricians and HVAC crews so nobody's rough-in fights for the same wall or ceiling space

A typical day

• 6:30 AMReview the day's task list and pull fittings and pipe for the rough-in scheduled that day
• 7:00 AMRun DWV piping on the second floor, following the plumbing drawings' fixture locations
• 10:00 AMPressure-test yesterday's completed piping run before it gets covered
• 1:00 PMSet fixtures in a unit that's ready for trim-out
• 3:30 PMWalk finished rough-in with the inspector before the wall gets closed up

Skills

Software

Pay expectations

Reviewed May 2025. Pay reflects the national wage distribution for this occupation, not a promise for any one job: entry level is the lower part of that range, 5 years in sits around the national median, and 10 years in is the upper part, since pay isn't actually tracked by years on the job. Real pay varies a lot by state, metro area, union status, and employer — scale these up or down for your market. These figures are base pay only: overtime, shift differentials, and per-project bonuses are standard across most construction trades and routinely push real earnings above what's shown here.

Education

Required:

High school diploma or equivalent, then a registered apprenticeship (typically 4-5 years of paid on-the-job training plus classroom hours); a Journeyman Plumber license is legally required by most states/municipalities before working unsupervised; an apprentice works under a licensed plumber until then

Helpful:

OSHA 10 or 30 certification (not a nationwide legal requirement, though several states, including New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Nevada, Missouri, and Rhode Island, legally require it for workers on public construction projects) and backflow-prevention certification for working on potable water systems

Not necessary:

A four-year college degree isn't part of this path; like electrical work, the apprenticeship-to-license route is standard and pays during training rather than costing tuition

Career progression

1. 1.Apprentice Plumber
2. 2.Journeyman Plumber
3. 3.Master Plumber
4. 4.Plumbing Foreman or Plumbing Contractor (running your own crew/business)

Who hires for this role