Plumbing

What the Numbers Say About Plumbing

As of the March 2025 reporting window, 933 people work in the Plumbing occupation (OPM code 4206) across federal agencies, 0.0% of the 2,289,472-strong federal civilian workforce. Headcount moved down by -0.3% from the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.

The average salary for Plumbing is $73,872 per year, placing it 32.8% below the overall federal civilian average of $109,869. Salaries moved up by 0.8% from the prior period, a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement. Average length of service in this role is 8.3 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.

The Plumbing and Pipefitting Family family (code 42) groups Plumbing together with 3 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Plumbing postings should also review these sibling occupations, since federal hiring managers often cross-post positions across closely related codes when recruitment is difficult. All figures here come directly from OPM FedScope Employment Cubes, the same official source referenced in federal workforce planning, budget justifications, and GAO reports.

Within the Plumbing and Pipefitting Family family, Plumbing is one of the top 4 occupations by headcount (#2), accounting for 20.1% of the family's combined 4,648 employees. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (0th percentile) of pay among Plumbing and Pipefitting Family occupations.