While 2020 was a year that many industries would soon like to forget, plumbers’ popularity hit all-time highs.

According to Google search trends, searches for local plumbers and other contractors hit their highest levels in five years as more homeowners launched home improvement projects during the pandemic. Whether those homeowners had enough cash to pay for repairs and renovations or tried to do the work themselves and ran into trouble, the result was the same: a call or email to the local plumber.

With business booming, plumbing could be an appealing field of work. As with many service jobs, becoming a plumber doesn’t require a college degree. Rather, individuals can enroll in affordable trade schools or participate in an apprenticeship to sharpen their skill set. The typical plumber makes $56,330 annually, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and the field will grow by 4% by 2029. That growth will open up nearly 21,000 new plumbing jobs in the next eight years. 

On a national scale, plumbers earn 34.3% more than the median annual wage for all workers, according to data from the BLS. And while the national-level data indicates that being a plumber provides above-average pay, state-level data shows a highly regional industry where plumbers in the Midwest make far more than their counterparts in the Southwest, Southeast, and the Mid-Atlantic.

The analysis found that plumbers in Tennessee earn a median annual wage of $46,660, compared to $37,440 for all workers. After adjusting for the cost of living in Tennessee, plumbers earn a median $52,018 per year. Out of all states, Tennessee is the 10th worst-paying for plumbers. 

Here is a summary of the data for Tennessee:

- Median annual wage for plumbers (adjusted): $52,018
- Median annual wage for plumbers (actual): $46,660
- Median annual wage for all workers (actual): $37,440
- Relative concentration of plumbers (compared to average): -16.0%
- Relative cost of living (compared to average): -10.3%

For reference, here are the statistics for the entire United States:

- Median annual wage for plumbers (adjusted): N/A
- Median annual wage for plumbers (actual): $56,330
- Median annual wage for all workers (actual): $41,950
- Relative concentration of plumbers (compared to average): N/A
- Relative cost of living (compared to average): N/A

For more information, a detailed methodology, and complete results, you can find the original report on Construction Coverage’s website: https://constructioncoverage.com/research/best-paying-cities-for-plumbers-2021