How much do Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters make in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC?

Percentile spread

For Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters, the published 10th percentile is $43,820 and the 90th percentile is $76,460. The difference is $32,640, which is 54.3% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $48,370 to the 75th at $65,040, covers $16,670.

The mean annual wage is $58,630, which sits below the median of $60,110. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Durham-Chapel Hill, NC median is 5.8% lower than the national median of $63,800 for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters. In 2024 national prices the local median is $61,606, which is 3.4% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 5.3% higher than the North Carolina median of $57,080.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Durham-Chapel Hill, NC is 97.572, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $60,110 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters at $61,606 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

30 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters. Durham-Chapel Hill, NC ranks 4th of 31 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

• Burlington, NC is 17 miles away, with a median of $56,890 and employment of 260. That median is 5.4% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $61,043, against $61,606 here.
• Greensboro-High Point, NC is 39 miles away, with a median of $57,510 and employment of 1,110. That median is 4.3% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $61,929, against $61,606 here.
• Raleigh-Cary, NC is 39 miles away, with a median of $60,540 and employment of 2,810. That median is 0.7% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $61,677, against $61,606 here.

Employment share

Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters accounts for 0.18% of wage-and-salary employment in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC (620 of 344,020). Nationally the occupation is 0.30% of employment (465,840 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.60 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.