Research & Data
Plumbing Industry Statistics 2026
25+ sourced statistics on the U.S. plumbing industry: market size, employment, the growing labor shortage, average ticket benchmarks, and how homeowners search for and select plumbing contractors.
Sources: IBISWorld, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, BrightLocal, ServiceTitan, Morning Brew. Last updated April 2026.
Plumbing Market Size and Growth
The scale of the U.S. plumbing industry and where it is headed.
- 1
The U.S. plumbing contractor market is valued at $121.5 billion (IBISWorld), with industry-wide revenue projected to reach $191.4 billion in 2026.
Source: IBISWorld, Plumbers in the US; RevenueMemo, Plumbing Industry Statistics for 2026
- 2
The plumbing industry has grown at a 3.1% CAGR over the past five years, outpacing general economic growth.
Source: RevenueMemo, Plumbing Industry Statistics for 2026
- 3
Nonresidential (commercial) work accounts for just over two-thirds of plumbing industry revenue, though residential is where the majority of small plumbing contractors compete.
Source: IBISWorld, cited in ServiceTitan Plumbing Industry Statistics
Plumbing Workforce and Labor Shortage
The labor shortage is the defining business challenge in plumbing right now. Here is the data behind it.
- 4
More than 132,000 plumbing businesses employ approximately 736,000 people across the United States.
Source: Industry aggregate cited in Getjobber and RevenueMemo plumbing statistics, 2025
- 5
Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters held 504,500 jobs in 2024.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024
- 6
The plumbing job market is expected to grow 6% through 2033, adding approximately 26,300 new jobs, faster than the average for all occupations.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, cited in RevenueMemo and Getjobber, 2024
- 7
The U.S. is projected to face a shortage of 550,000 plumbers by 2027, creating significant pricing power for established plumbing businesses.
Source: Morning Brew / NewsNation, cited in ServiceTitan and Comrade Digital Marketing, 2024
- 8
More than 20% of the current plumbing workforce is aged 55 or older, a retirement wave is imminent, which will intensify the shortage.
Source: 2023 Current Population Survey, cited in Getjobber Plumbing Industry Statistics
- 9
The skilled worker shortage across trades costs the U.S. economy $33 billion annually in lost productivity.
Source: Morning Brew, cited in ServiceTitan Plumbing Statistics, 2024
Plumbing Average Ticket and Revenue Benchmarks
What top-performing plumbing companies charge and how they structure pricing.
- 10
The average residential plumbing service call generates approximately $275 in revenue, with emergency calls averaging $450.
Source: Industry benchmarks cited in SkipCalls and Contractor In Charge, 2024
- 11
The most financially successful residential plumbing companies maintain average tickets between $300 and $500; commercial operations average $800 to $1,500 per call.
Source: Financial Models Lab and Brentwood Growth, KPI benchmarks, 2024
- 12
After-hours burst pipe emergencies typically start at $450 to $600 minimum and can reach $2,000+ for complex repairs.
Source: SkipCalls, Contractor In Charge, industry benchmark data, 2024
- 13
Offering financing on plumbing jobs can increase revenue by more than 17%.
Source: ServiceTitan, Plumbing Industry Statistics, 2024
How Homeowners Search for Plumbers
Search and decision-making behavior that determines who gets the call when a pipe bursts.
- 14
84% of consumers searching for a plumber use Google as their first source.
Source: SEO Sandwitch, Plumber Marketing Statistics, 2025
- 15
"Plumber near me" receives approximately 180,000 monthly searches in the U.S. alone.
Source: Google Keyword data, cited in SEO Sandwitch, 2025
- 16
83% of plumbing service searches are local intent, consumers are seeking an immediate, location-based solution, not a national brand.
Source: SEO Sandwitch / Comrade Digital, 2025
- 17
68% of consumers say positive reviews swayed their decision to hire a plumber; 40% say negative reviews actively deterred them from calling.
Source: Andy Beal, cited in ServiceTitan Plumbing Statistics, 2024
- 18
27% of calls to home services businesses go unanswered, and 95% of callers who reach voicemail immediately call a competitor instead of leaving a message.
Source: Invoca (unanswered call data); Suzee AI (voicemail behavior), 2024
- 19
75% of consumers will not leave a voicemail, and 90% rate an immediate response as critically important when contacting a plumber.
Source: Industry consumer behavior research, NextPhone and Contractor In Charge, 2024
Related: Plumbing Marketing Resources
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