Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters Salary in Charlotte, NC (2024)
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area earn a median of $55,550 per year ($26.71 per hour) based on 4,210 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is -11.8% against the national median of $62,970 for this occupation.
Pay distribution
The median is a single point on a wide curve. The table below shows where plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters actually sit across the pay range in Charlotte, NC, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $18.50 | $38,470 | |
| 25th percentile | $22.77 | $47,360 | |
| Median | $26.71 | $55,550 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $30.60 | $63,650 | |
| 90th percentile | $36.17 | $75,230 | |
| Average (mean) | $27.07 | $56,310 |
How Charlotte, NC compares
The local median of $55,550 runs -11.8% below the US median of $62,970 for this occupation; it pays 13.6% more than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($48,880); within the metro it ranks 317th of 641 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte, NC — this occupation | $55,550 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $62,970 | -11.8% |
| Charlotte, NC — all occupations | $48,880 | +13.6% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $100,110 | -44.5% |
The location quotient of 1.06 is close to 1.0: the occupation's share of local employment tracks the national average.
High confidence The relative standard error on this estimate is 1.6%, which is a tight margin — the figure is stable enough to plan around.
Ranked 317th of 641 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in Charlotte, NC
To put $55,550 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 317th.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Nurse Anesthetists | $238,780 | 980 |
| Dentists, General | $192,580 | 820 |
| Emergency Medicine Physicians | $172,640 | 50 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $172,100 | 7,580 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $167,590 | 1,780 |
| Financial Managers | $167,470 | 8,790 |
| Natural Sciences Managers | $165,120 | 480 |
| Compensation and Benefits Managers | $164,160 | 220 |
| Commercial Pilots | $163,530 | 420 |
| Marketing Managers | $158,490 | 3,750 |
Where plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters earn the most
Across the 25 metro areas with released data for this occupation, medians run from $51,650 to $100,110. These are the top markets.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $100,110 | 4,920 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $98,890 | 14,230 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $97,020 | 5,070 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $87,160 | 6,540 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $83,640 | 11,320 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $81,480 | 5,590 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $79,420 | 21,500 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | $73,060 | 4,150 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $72,580 | 7,570 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $71,700 | 7,090 |
See the full national picture on the Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters salary by metro page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters in Charlotte, NC?
The median annual wage is $55,550, or $27 per hour. That means half of the plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters working in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $56,310.
What do the highest and lowest paid plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters in Charlotte, NC earn?
The bottom 10% earn $38,470 or less, while the top 10% earn $75,230 or more — a spread of $36,760 between the two ends of the distribution. The middle half of workers sit between $47,360 and $63,650.
Is plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters pay in Charlotte, NC above the local average?
Yes, it is 13.6% above the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $48,880. That comparison is the fairer one for judging local purchasing power, because it holds the metro's overall cost and wage level constant.
How does Charlotte, NC pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $55,550 the metro median is 11.8% lower than the US median of $62,970 for plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters. Across the 25 metro areas covered here, this occupation ranges from $51,650 to $100,110.
How many plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters work in Charlotte, NC?
BLS counts about 4,210 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 3.14 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. The location quotient of 1.06 is close to 1.0: the occupation's share of local employment tracks the national average.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 9.2%). OEWS measures what employers pay, not what any individual earns; it excludes self-employed workers, and it does not adjust for local cost of living.
Read the full methodology, or the original data at bls.gov/oes.