Plumber and Pipefitter Careers for Veterans: Pay, Path

The ladder, rung by rung

BLS lays out the plumbing career in stages. Most plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters learn through a 4- or 5-year apprenticeship with about 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training a year plus technical instruction that includes math, applied physics and chemistry^[2]. Finishing the apprenticeship and passing a licensing exam makes you a journey-level worker. Plumbers with several more years of experience who pass another exam earn master status, and some states require master status for a plumbing contractor's licence^[2].

Four rungs

Apprentice: 4–5 years, about 2,000 paid hours a year plus classroom instruction. Sponsors include unions, trade associations and businesses.
Journey worker: complete the apprenticeship and pass the state or local licensing exam. Many jurisdictions require 2–5 years of experience before you can work independently.
Master plumber: several more years of experience and a further exam.
Contractor: in some states, master status is a requirement for a plumbing contractor's licence, which lets you run your own business.

Pipefitters and steamfitters follow a similar route but more often work in industrial settings such as power plants and large commercial heating and cooling systems. BLS notes that some states license pipefitters and steamfitters too, and that a special licence may be needed for gas lines^[2]. Some pipefitter apprenticeships require welding coursework, so welding experience from the service can count for something here.

What each rung is worth

BLS does not publish pay by licence level, but the wage distribution for the occupation reflects the ladder. In May 2025 the 10th percentile earned $44,150, the median $63,800 and the 90th percentile $108,420^[1]. The jump from median to 75th percentile, $21,310, is larger than the jump from 25th to median, $13,610. In a trade where each step is gated by an exam, that is the shape you would expect.

The pay ladder, 10th to 90th percentile · Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (SOC 47-2152), U.S., May 2025^[1]

10th percentile$44,150 $21.22/hr
25th percentile$50,190 $24.13/hr
Median$63,800 $30.67/hr
75th percentile$85,110 $40.92/hr
90th percentile$108,420 $52.13/hr

Spread from 10th to 90th percentile: $64,270. The 90th-percentile worker earns 2.5× the 10th. Mean annual wage: $72,170. Employment covered by the survey: 465,840 (wage and salary jobs; excludes the self-employed).

Plumbing's 90th percentile is almost identical to electricians', and its median is slightly higher. The District of Columbia and Illinois had state medians close to $100,000, with Oregon, Minnesota and Alaska above $93,000^[3].

Highest state medians

District of Columbia $101,020
Illinois $99,950
Oregon $97,050
Minnesota $94,410
Alaska $93,920

Most concentrated (LQ)

Louisiana 1.44
Maine 1.41
Maryland 1.38
Utah 1.35
Wyoming 1.35

State medians and location quotients from BLS OEWS, May 2025^[3]. Concentration list includes only states with at least 500 jobs in the occupation. Lowest state median: Arkansas at $48,660.

The GI Bill fits this trade well

Plumbing is the trade on our list where VA-approved training is most concentrated in employer programs rather than schools.

1,928 GI Bill-approved plumbing programs show in VA's GI Bill Comparison Tool, including 1,549 listed as on-the-job training or apprenticeship and 379 as school-based non-college-degree programs^[4].

Counts compiled from the public Comparison Tool data on October 29, 2026 by an affiliated site (see disclosure). Approval status changes; confirm a specific employer or school in the tool before you rely on it.

About 80% of approved plumbing programs in VA's tool are on-the-job training, the highest share of the eight trades in that data set. For a veteran, that means more chances to find a sponsor where you earn an apprentice wage and draw the GI Bill housing payment at the same time. The payment tapers in six-month steps, so it does the most work early in a 4- to 5-year apprenticeship.

How the GI Bill housing payment steps down during OJT or an apprenticeship

Training period	Share of the full monthly housing rate
Months 1–6	100%
Months 7–12	80%
Months 13–18	60%
Months 19–24	40%
Month 25 onward	20%

Post-9/11 GI Bill rates effective Aug 1, 2026 to Jul 31, 2027. The full rate is the 2026 Basic Allowance for Housing for an E-5 with dependents at the training ZIP code, prorated by your eligibility tier and reduced in any month you log fewer than 120 hours^[5]. Payments arrive after your employer reports your hours. A books-and-supplies stipend of up to $83 a month also applies^[5]. This is paid on top of the wage your employer pays you.

Read the GI Bill apprenticeship pay guide for who qualifies and how the payment is calculated.

Military jobs that map over

Military occupations O*NET links to this trade

Army Plumber
Navy Utilitiesman
Navy NAMTS Pipefitter
Air Force Water and Fuel Systems Maintenance
Marine Corps Water Support Technician
Coast Guard Utilitiesman - Plumber
Coast Guard Shipfitter - Pipefitter

A selection from 11 distinct enlisted and officer titles the O*NET Military Crosswalk links to SOC 47-2152 across 5 service categories^[6]. A link means O*NET judged the duties related; it is not a credential, and it does not guarantee apprenticeship credit. Search your own code at O*NET's crosswalk to see your full list.

Your military job

Branch	Codes O*NET links to this trade
Army MOS	12K Plumber
Navy rating	UT Utilitiesman HT Hull Maintenance Technician
Air Force AFSC	3E4X1 Water and Fuel Systems Maintenance
Marine Corps MOS	1171 Water Support Technician
Coast Guard rating	MK Machinery Technician DC Damage Controlman

Source: O*NET military crosswalk, checked Oct 30, 2026. Each code links to its O*NET crosswalk entry. Branches without a row have no direct O*NET match for this trade.

The plumbing crosswalk is one of the shortest. Utilities and water-support jobs dominate it. If your work was on fuel systems, shipboard piping or damage control, you may find a closer match in the pipefitter side of the trade than in residential plumbing.

Where the jobs are

California and Texas had the most plumbing and pipefitting jobs, together about 20% of the national total^[3]. Concentration is highest in Louisiana, which has a large petrochemical industry, and in Maine, Maryland, Utah and Wyoming.

Where the jobs are: top 8 states by employment

State	Jobs	Median pay	Location quotient
California	47,660	$72,830	0.87
Texas	44,090	$59,840	1.05
Florida	29,260	$52,910	0.98
New York	23,210	$77,490	0.80
Illinois	16,750	$99,950	0.92
Ohio	16,390	$63,330	0.99
North Carolina	14,510	$57,080	0.98
Michigan	14,120	$80,190	1.07

Together these 8 states hold 44% of the national total. Location quotient above 1.0 means the trade is a larger share of local jobs than nationally^[3].

Outlook

BLS projects 7% growth from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average, and about 42,000 openings a year. It attributes demand to new construction and to maintaining and repairing plumbing in existing buildings^[2].

Jobs, 2025: 510,600
Projected growth, 2025–35: 7% (Much faster than average)
Net new jobs, 2025–35: 34,500
Openings per year: 42,000

BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile: Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters^[2]. OOH job counts include self-employed workers and, for some profiles, related occupations, so they run higher than the OEWS wage-survey count above. Openings include replacement of workers who retire or change occupations, which is why they exceed net growth.

Because licensing is state and sometimes city-specific, decide where you plan to settle before you choose a sponsor. Hours and exams in one jurisdiction do not always transfer. CareerOneStop lists the licensing board for each state^[7].

For GI Bill-approved plumbing apprenticeships and schools by state, see Veteran Trade Schools, a sister site.

Plumber and pipefitter careers for veterans: the license ladder from apprentice to master