How much do plumbers make in Colorado in 2026?

The median plumber in Colorado earns $63,240 a year, which works out to about $30.40 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That number comes from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data collected in May 2025, covering plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters statewide.

Pay spreads out considerably depending on where you are in your career. The 25th percentile sits at $52,370 a year, or roughly $25.18 an hour. That range typically reflects workers newer to the trade — apprentices who have recently journeyed out, or journeymen still building their specialty skills. The 75th percentile reaches $78,740 a year, about $37.86 an hour. Workers at that level have usually stacked years of experience, picked up a specialty like medical gas, fire suppression, or hydronic heating, or moved into a lead or foreman role where they carry more responsibility on a job.

The gap between the 25th and 75th percentile — roughly $26,370 a year — is not random. It reflects real differences in licensure level, specialty, employer type, and geography. A plumber holding a Colorado Master Plumber license commands more than one who topped out at Journeyman. A plumber running a commercial high-rise rough-in in Denver earns differently than one doing residential service calls in a smaller Front Range city or a rural mountain county.

Geography inside Colorado matters more than the single statewide number suggests. The Denver metro area, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, and the Boulder corridor generate the heaviest commercial and industrial construction activity. Plumbers working those markets — especially on large commercial or multi-family projects — tend to land closer to or above the 75th percentile. Rural Western Slope markets have fewer large projects but can offer less competition for steady residential and light commercial work.

Overtime is a real factor in this trade. Colorado does not cap overtime for construction workers, and busy commercial projects routinely run 50- or 60-hour weeks during peak phases. A plumber earning $30.40 straight time picks up $45.60 per overtime hour. Ten hours of overtime a week for 30 weeks adds roughly $13,680 on top of a base salary — enough to push a median earner well into 75th-percentile territory for the year without any change in base rate.

The licensing path in Colorado is defined by the state's Department of Regulatory Agencies. A Journeyman Plumber license requires documented hours and a passing exam. A Master Plumber license requires additional experience beyond journeyman status and its own exam. Earning the Master Plumber credential is one of the clearest documented ways to move up the pay scale in this state, because it qualifies you to pull permits, run a plumbing business, and take on work that unlicensed or journeyman-only shops cannot.

Some Colorado plumbers work under collective bargaining agreements through their employer. If that applies to you, your wage scales, benefit contributions, and overtime rules are set in that agreement — check it directly for your specific rates and conditions rather than relying on a statewide average.

Employer type also shapes total compensation in ways the BLS wage figure does not fully capture. A plumber working for a large mechanical contractor on a government or commercial project may receive health insurance, pension contributions, and paid time off that add real dollar value beyond the hourly rate. A self-employed plumber or small-shop worker may take home a higher gross hourly rate but cover their own benefits. Neither situation is automatically better — it depends on what the full package adds up to.

The BLS OEWS data captures base wages reported by employers. It does not include per diem payments, tool allowances, vehicle stipends, or the value of employer-paid benefits. When comparing offers, add those pieces to the hourly rate before deciding which job actually pays more.

To move your pay toward and past the 75th percentile in Colorado, the most direct levers are: earn your Master Plumber license, add a commercial specialty (medical gas, backflow certification, or fire suppression are in demand), pursue foreman or general foreman roles, and target employers with active commercial or industrial pipelines in the major metro areas. Each of those steps has a documented history of moving plumbers up the pay scale in this state.