Updated · 2026 tax rules · Data: IRS, BLS, BEA, HUD · How we calculate

Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters Salary in Houston, TX

Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area earn a median $61,300 a year — 4% less than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $51,435 take-home, or $4,286 a month.

Median salary
$61,300
$29.47 per hour
Typical range
$39,920 – $85,680
10th to 90th percentile
Jobs in Houston, TX
10,980
1.11× national concentration
▲1.8%
Pay trend: The median for plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters in Houston, TX rose from $60,230 (May 2024) to $61,300 (May 2025). That trailed inflation (2.4%), so buying power slipped about 0.6%.

Take-home pay calculator

Pre-filled with the median plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters salary in Houston, TX. Enter your own offer to see your paycheck.

Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in Houston, TX
Deductions, kids & local tax

2026 tax year. Federal brackets from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32.

Your take-home pay
$51,435
per year · effective tax rate 16.1%
$4,286Monthly
$2,143Twice a month
$1,978Every 2 weeks
$24.73Hourly
  • Federal income tax$5,176
  • Social Security (6.2%)$3,801
  • Medicare (1.45%)$889
  • Texas income tax$0
  • Take-home pay$51,435

Marginal rate: 12% federal + 0.00% state

Got an offer somewhere else? Compare it with this one after taxes and rent →

Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters pay by experience in Houston, TX

PercentileSalaryHourlyTake-home / yrPer month
10th percentile (entry level)$39,920$19.19$34,256$2,855
25th percentile$49,260$23.68$41,760$3,480
Median (50th)$61,300$29.47$51,435$4,286
75th percentile$75,680$36.38$62,071$5,173
90th percentile (top earners)$85,680$41.19$69,106$5,759

Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Take-home: single filer, Texas resident, 2026 tax rules.

What $61,300 buys in Houston, TX

Prices in Houston, TX are 1.4% lower than the U.S. average (housing costs are 1.05× the national average). Adjusted for local prices, a median plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters's $51,435 take-home pay has the buying power of $52,150 in a typical American city.

1-bedroom rent
$1,316
31% of monthly take-home
2-bedroom rent
$1,558
36% of monthly take-home
Left after 1-BR rent
$2,970
per month for everything else

Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2026 (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities). Price levels: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.

Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters jobs are about as common in Houston, TX as in the U.S. overall (location quotient 1.11).

Best-paying cities for plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters, adjusted for cost of living

Houston, TX ranks #25 of 46 metro areas once taxes and local prices are taken into account.

#Metro areaMedian salaryTake-homeReal value*
1Chicago, IL $103,380$76,585$73,928
2Minneapolis, MN $101,630$74,939$71,492
3San Jose, CA $107,560$77,327$70,028
4Seattle, WA $95,230$75,824$68,228
5Portland, OR $101,010$71,882$68,185
6Milwaukee, WI $84,700$65,308$67,371
7Boston, MA $96,760$72,283$66,764
8Detroit, MI $86,370$66,171$65,975
25Houston, TX$61,300$51,435$52,150

*Take-home pay divided by the BEA price level, so every city is measured in U.S.-average dollars. See all 46 metros →

About the job: plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters

Assemble, install, alter, and repair pipelines or pipe systems that carry water, steam, air, or other liquids or gases. May install heating and cooling equipment and mechanical control systems.

Typical education
High school diploma or equivalent
Work experience
None required
On-the-job training
Apprenticeship
Job outlook, 2025–35
+6.8% (faster than average)

Source: BLS Standard Occupational Classification and Employment Projections, 2025–35.

Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters salaries elsewhere in Texas

Frequently asked questions

How much does a plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters make in Houston, TX?

The median plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters salary in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area is $61,300 a year, or about $29.47 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $49,260 and $75,680.

What is a plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters’s take-home pay in Houston, TX?

On the median $61,300 salary, a single filer living in Texas takes home about $51,435 a year ($4,286 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare in 2026.

Is Houston, TX a good place to work as a plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters?

Pay here is 4% below the national median of $63,800. Local prices are 1.4% below the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $52,150 would in a typical U.S. city. Houston, TX ranks #25 of 46 metro areas for cost-of-living-adjusted pay in this job.

Can a plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters afford rent in Houston, TX?

HUD’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom in Houston, TX is $1,316 a month ($1,558 for two bedrooms) — 31% of a median plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters’s monthly take-home pay. Financial planners usually suggest keeping rent under about 30%.

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