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Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters: apprenticeship hours and pay
O*NET-SOC 47-2152.00 · Plumbing Programs
Approved apprenticeship titles
7 apprenticeship titles on the Department of Labor's approved list fall under Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters, trained hybrid, time-based, competency-based. The shortest approved term is 5,920 hours, for MARINE PIPEFITTER (Existing Title: Pipe Fitter [Ship & Boat]) (hybrid).
| Title | RAPIDS code | Approach and term |
|---|---|---|
| COPPERSMITH (Ship & Boat) | 0091 | Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| GAS-MAIN FITTER | 0964 | Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| MARINE PIPEFITTER (Existing Title: Pipe Fitter [Ship & Boat]) | 0412 | Hybrid: 5,920 to 7,400 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours Time-Based (V2): 5,920 hours Time-Based (V3): 5,920 hours Time-Based (V4): 7,328 hours Time-Based (V5): 5,920 hours |
| PIPE FITTER - SPRINKLER FITTER | 0414 | Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Hybrid: 6,000 to 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Hybrid (V2): 8,500 to 10,000 hours Hybrid (V2): 8,500 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours Time-Based (V2): 8,000 hours Time-Based (V3): 7,328 hours Time-Based (V4): 8,000 hours |
| PLUMBER | 0432 | Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Hybrid: 8,500 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours Time-Based (V2): 7,328 hours Time-Based (V3): 8,500 hours |
| STEAM SERVICE INSPECTOR | 0460 | Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| Water Distribution Operator | 2092 | Competency-Based: 6,000 hours Hybrid: 6,000 to 7,500 hours Time-Based: 6,000 hours |
Time-based programs count hours on the job; competency-based programs move on when the apprentice shows the skills; hybrid programs use both, within a range of hours (29 CFR 29.5(b)(2)). Each registered program sets its own term inside what the approved title allows.
What plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters earn, by state
District of Columbia has the highest state median for plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters ($101,020) and Puerto Rico the lowest ($31,620), across the 54 states with a published figure.
| State | Median pay | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $101,020 | $48.57 | 1,010 |
| Illinois | $99,950 | $48.05 | 16,750 |
| Oregon | $97,050 | $46.66 | 5,370 |
| Minnesota | $94,410 | $45.39 | 10,720 |
| Alaska | $93,920 | $45.15 | 1,200 |
| Massachusetts | $93,880 | $45.14 | 13,460 |
| Wisconsin | $81,210 | $39.04 | 10,210 |
| Washington | $81,030 | $38.96 | 12,470 |
| Michigan | $80,190 | $38.56 | 14,120 |
| Montana | $79,960 | $38.44 | 1,860 |
| New Jersey | $78,240 | $37.61 | 8,750 |
| Hawaii | $78,060 | $37.53 | 2,500 |
| New York | $77,490 | $37.26 | 23,210 |
| Connecticut | $77,280 | $37.16 | 5,410 |
| Rhode Island | $76,470 | $36.77 | 1,820 |
| Indiana | $76,320 | $36.69 | 11,280 |
| California | $72,830 | $35.01 | 47,660 |
| Pennsylvania | $68,080 | $32.73 | 13,620 |
| New Hampshire | $66,810 | $32.12 | 1,950 |
| Missouri | $66,790 | $32.11 | 8,310 |
| Maryland | $65,400 | $31.44 | 11,420 |
| Kansas | $65,220 | $31.36 | 4,590 |
| Delaware | $64,720 | $31.11 | 1,590 |
| Kentucky | $64,160 | $30.84 | 6,360 |
| Maine | $64,000 | $30.77 | 2,710 |
| Iowa | $63,890 | $30.72 | 5,730 |
| Louisiana | $63,680 | $30.62 | 8,360 |
| North Dakota | $63,560 | $30.56 | 1,620 |
| Ohio | $63,330 | $30.45 | 16,390 |
| Colorado | $63,240 | $30.40 | 10,080 |
| Wyoming | $62,410 | $30.01 | 1,140 |
| Vermont | $62,170 | $29.89 | 980 |
| Arizona | $62,070 | $29.84 | 11,810 |
| Utah | $61,900 | $29.76 | 7,030 |
| Nevada | $61,610 | $29.62 | 5,370 |
| New Mexico | $61,440 | $29.54 | 2,830 |
| Nebraska | $60,970 | $29.31 | 4,110 |
| Virginia | $60,470 | $29.07 | 13,780 |
| Texas | $59,840 | $28.77 | 44,090 |
| Alabama | $58,670 | $28.21 | 6,950 |
| Tennessee | $58,600 | $28.17 | 9,270 |
| Oklahoma | $57,970 | $27.87 | 6,050 |
| Georgia | $57,200 | $27.50 | 8,930 |
| North Carolina | $57,080 | $27.44 | 14,510 |
| West Virginia | $56,980 | $27.39 | 1,830 |
| Mississippi | $55,480 | $26.67 | 3,360 |
| South Carolina | $53,940 | $25.93 | 5,770 |
| Florida | $52,910 | $25.44 | 29,260 |
| Idaho | $52,380 | $25.18 | 3,090 |
| South Dakota | $51,620 | $24.82 | 1,760 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | $49,630 | $23.86 | 50 |
| Arkansas | $48,660 | $23.39 | 3,370 |
| Guam | $36,470 | $17.53 | 320 |
| Puerto Rico | $31,620 | $15.20 | 940 |
Finding a program
The public sponsor file names the organizations that run registered apprenticeships but not the occupations each one trains, so this guide names no sponsor. Search apprenticeship.gov's Apprenticeship Finder for this title, or ask your American Job Center which local programs train it.
Apprenticeship sponsors by state (25,633) · All approved occupations · Plumbing Programs at schools and training centers
Sources: apprenticeship.gov approved occupations list (Last-Modified October 8, 2026); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (all industries; blanks are figures BLS does not publish).