How To Become A Residential Plumber: What It Is and Career Path

What is a residential plumber and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

What does a residential plumber do? The simple answer is that these plumbers devise, install, repair, and maintain every system in a residential building that allows water and gas to pass in and out. They carefully select, arrange and install pipes and valves inside wall cavities so that gas and water will flow effectively and safely. Residential plumbers also fix domestic appliances like gas cookers and dishwashers.

An effective residential plumber must be able to problem-solve, collaborate, and analyze. They also must have excellent trouble-shooting abilities, management skills, and technical skills. The average annual salary for residential plumbers is $53,910. Most plumbers get the training they need in an apprenticeship program. Therefore, you don't necessarily need to earn a degree. This training mixes paid on-the-job training with classroom teachings. If you want to work independently, most states will require you to have a license and two years of experience.

ScoreResidential PlumberUS Average

Salary

4.3

Avg. Salary $54,486

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.8

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.03%

Asian 1.85%

Black or African American 8.93%

Hispanic or Latino 19.17%

Unknown 4.20%

White 64.82%

Gender

female 5.45%

male 94.55%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

7.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.9

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.6

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a residential plumber

Explore residential plumber education requirements

Most common residential plumber degrees

High School Diploma

53.7 %

Associate

22.0 %

Diploma

9.8 %

Start to develop specific residential plumber skills

Skills	Percentages
Plumbing	32.26%
Water Heaters	13.92%
Hand Tools	6.88%
Troubleshoot	4.87%
PVC	4.21%

Complete relevant residential plumber training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 2-4 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New residential plumbers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a residential plumber based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real residential plumber resumes.

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming a licensed residential plumber usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed residential plumber in most of states. 33 states require residential plumbers to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

State	Education	Exam	License url
Alabama	-	-	Certified Master Plumber
Maryland	Specific course required	State exam required	PLUMBER
Arkansas	-	State exam required	Journeyman Plumber
Colorado	-	State exam required	Journeyman Plumber
Connecticut	-	State exam required	Plumbing & Piping Unlimited Journeyperson

Research residential plumber duties and responsibilities

Train and manage less experience plumbers and achieve significant improvements in their productivity.
Install copper and PEX water supply.
Assist with HVAC, run water lines, install washer boxes etc
Learned skills such as welding, soldering, brazing, blueprint reading, schematic drawings, rigging, and crane signaling.

Prepare your residential plumber resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your residential plumber resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a residential plumber resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable residential plumber resume templates

Build a professional residential plumber resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your residential plumber resume.