How much do plumbers and HVAC techs make in 2026?

Per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025 data), plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters earn a median of about $63,000 a year, and HVAC/refrigeration technicians about $59,800. The top 10% of plumbers clear $102,000. Pay scales sharply with license, specialty, and region.

Are skilled-trades wages going up?

Yes. Wages for licensed plumbers and HVAC techs have climbed year over year, driven by a persistent labor shortage and rising demand. Plumbers recently overtook electricians on mean annual pay — a reversal from prior years — as aging infrastructure and a thin candidate pool push compensation up.

Why does trades wage growth matter for hiring and retention?

Because the market reprices your techs every year whether you do or not. If your pay falls behind the local rate, a competitor can poach a good tech with a modest bump. Rising wages make retention a moving target — you have to benchmark and adjust, not set pay once and forget it.

Skilled-trades wage growth: what plumbers and HVAC techs earn in 2026 — and why it keeps climbing

What do plumbers and HVAC techs earn in 2026, and why does it keep rising?

Skilled-trades pay is climbing year over year, and the shortage is the reason. Per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025), plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters earn a median of roughly $63,000 a year and HVAC/refrigeration techs about $59,800 — with top plumbers clearing $102,000. When licensed techs are scarce and demand is rising, the price of keeping one goes up every year. For an owner, that makes wage growth a retention problem, not just a payroll line.

What the trades pay right now

Per BLS (May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics):

Plumbers, pipefitters, steamfitters — median ~$63,000/yr; top 10% above $102,000.
HVAC & refrigeration techs — median ~$59,800/yr; employment projected to grow ~8% from 2024–2034.
Electricians — median ~$63,000/yr.

Notably, plumbers recently overtook electricians on mean annual pay — a reversal from prior years — as aging residential infrastructure and water-system upgrades pile demand onto an already-thin plumbing workforce.

Why wages keep climbing

The mechanism is simple supply and demand:

The workforce is retiring faster than it's replaced — a structural shortage we cover in the plumber shortage outlook and trades hiring statistics hub.
Every open seat pulls from the same small pool, so employers bid pay up to win the few available licensed techs.
Licensing and specialization (gas, refrigeration, commercial) command premiums that widen as the qualified pool shrinks.

What rising wages mean for your business

Wage growth quietly reprices your existing team. A tech you hired two years ago at market rate may now be under market — which is exactly the opening a competitor needs. The cost of replacing that tech dwarfs the raise it would have taken to keep them.

So treat pay as a live benchmark:

Re-benchmark annually against local rates for the specific license/specialty — not a national average.
Adjust proactively, before a tech starts fielding recruiter calls, not after they hand in notice.
Pair pay with the non-cash retention levers — consistent hours, a real growth path — because pay alone rarely fixes retention.

The bottom line

Rising wages are a symptom of the same shortage that makes hiring hard: not enough licensed techs for the work available. You can't opt out of paying market — but you can stop overpaying for turnover by keeping the techs you have and keeping a warm bench for when you do need to hire. That's the always-on approach HireAligned runs for plumbing and HVAC businesses. See how done-for-you hiring works.

Pay figures are national medians (BLS, May 2025); your local market will differ.