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Plumber · Washington

Plumber programs in Washington

In Washington, a first-year plumber is either paid — or paying.

Tuition on the school path is real money. First-year pay on the apprenticeship path is a paycheck. Seats are not guaranteed on either side.

Plumber in the United States

Updated Apr 2026

UA Local 32 · Puget Sound plumber JATC — $20–$27/hr

First-year share of Seattle plumber scale · Apr 2026

Year one in Washington

One paid path and one school path. The full list is below.

Paid training · listed first

PHCC Washington plumber apprenticeship

PHCC Washington chapters · Multiple Washington markets

Tuition
$0–$3,000
First-year wage
$17–$22/hr

You pay · no paycheck in class

Washington technical / community college plumbing

SBCTC colleges · Statewide

Tuition
$6,000–$14,000
First-year wage
$0 during school

All programs on this page

01

PHCC Washington plumber apprenticeship

ApprenticeshipSeats: Open

Tuition / net cost

$0–$3,000

Employer-sponsored. Some classroom fees.

First-year wage

$17–$22/hr

Paid helper / first-year scale.

Term

4 years

Steps to local journeyman plumber rates

PHCC Washington chapters·Multiple Washington markets

Source: PHCC Washington chapter pages (2026-03)

02

Seattle / Puget Sound plumber JATC (UA 32)

ApprenticeshipSeats: Unknown

Tuition / net cost

$0

Paid OJT. Related instruction included.

First-year wage

$20–$27/hr

First-year share of a high Puget Sound plumber scale.

Term

5 years

Washington plumber wages among the highest nationally

UA Local 32·Seattle / Puget Sound

Source: UA 32 / WA L&I apprenticeship notes (2026-04)

03

Washington technical / community college plumbing

Trade schoolSeats: Open

Tuition / net cost

$6,000–$14,000

In-state technical-college range.

First-year wage

$0 during school

Unpaid classroom. WA entry wages after completion are strong.

Term

1–2 years

Washington plumber median well above the U.S. median

SBCTC colleges·Statewide

Source: SBCTC catalogs / College Scorecard (2026-02)

Other plumber states

Get plumber numbers for another state

We only write when new year-one numbers go up.