Licensing
The Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (TSBPE) licenses plumbers at each level: apprentice registration, tradesman, journeyman and master. Every plumbing company needs a Responsible Master Plumber on its license.
What plumbers earn in Texas
Published data- Median hourly wage
- $28.77
- Mean hourly wage
- $29.22
- Middle 50% (25th–75th percentile)
- $22.78–$35.63
- Median annual wage
- $59,840
- Mean annual wage
- $60,780
- Median vs. national
- 6% below national ($30.67)
- Employed in the state
- 44,090
BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 47-2152. Last verified: October 23, 2026. BLS series IDs: OEUS480000000000047215208, OEUS480000000000047215203, OEUS480000000000047215207, OEUS480000000000047215209, OEUS480000000000047215201.
From wage to hourly rate in Texas
Modeled- 1. Median wage
- $28.77
- 2. Loaded cost per paid hour
- $37.95
- 3. Break-even per billable hour
- $63.25
- 4. Rate at a 40% gross margin
- $105.41
The rate works out to about 3.7× the wage. Change any input below to use your own payroll, schedule and margin.
LeadDuo assumptions: payroll taxes 10%, workers' comp 8%, benefits $4 per paid hour, billable time 60% (typical range 55–65%), and a 40% target gross margin that covers overhead and profit. These are modeled values, not published data.
Labor rate calculator
Charge at least
$105.41/hr
- Loaded cost per paid hour
- $37.95
- Break-even per billable hour
- $63.25
- Rate as a multiple of the wage
- 3.7×
Labor on common jobs at this rate
ModeledLabor only, at $105.41/hr. Parts, equipment, permits and trip charges are extra, so these are not full job prices.
| Job | Typical labor hours | Labor at this rate |
|---|---|---|
| Drain clearing (main or branch line) | 1 | $105 |
| Faucet or toilet replacement | 1.5 | $158 |
| 40–50 gal tank water heater replacement | 3 | $316 |
Labor hours are LeadDuo planning assumptions.
Full job prices with parts: price list template →Working in Texas
Permits
Cities issue plumbing permits and inspections, and water heater replacements generally need a permit.
What drives the work
Expansive clay soils across much of Texas shift slab foundations and crack under-slab pipes, so leak detection and slab-leak repair are bigger categories than in most states. Rare hard freezes bring burst-pipe surges.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a plumber make in Texas?
The median plumber wage in Texas is $28.77 an hour ($59,840 a year) per BLS OEWS (May 2025), 6% below the national median of $30.67. The middle half earn $22.78–$35.63 an hour.
What hourly rate does a plumbing company in Texas need?
At the median wage and LeadDuo's published defaults (10% payroll taxes, 8% workers' comp, $4/hr benefits, 60% billable time, 40% gross margin), a plumbing company in Texas needs about $63.25 per billable hour to cover the technician's cost and about $105.41 an hour to hit a 40% margin. Change the inputs in the calculator to use your own numbers.
Do you need a license to work as a plumber in Texas?
The Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (TSBPE) licenses plumbers at each level: apprentice registration, tradesman, journeyman and master. Every plumbing company needs a Responsible Master Plumber on its license.
How many plumbers work in Texas?
BLS counts 44,090 employed plumbers in Texas (May 2025), about 9.5% of the 465,840 nationwide. The count leaves out self-employed owners.
Other states
Plumbing labor rate calculator (all states) →Sources and freshness
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, SOC 47-2152 (Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters). Last verified: October 23, 2026.
Loaded cost, break-even, selling rate and labor per job are LeadDuo calculations from the stated assumptions, not BLS-published figures. How we use public data · Pricing changelog