Pick your way in
Earn while you learn
A program hires you, pays you on the job and runs your classes.
- Pay
- From day one
- In NY
- 25 registered programs
Classroom first
Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.
- Pay
- You pay tuition
- In NY
- 3 schools with programs
Start on a crew
Get hired as a helper by a licensed plumbing contractor and log hours on the job.
- Pay
- Paid on the job
- Start
- No experience needed
The license steps
Get hired or start training
Join a registered apprenticeship, take a trade school program, or work as a helper for a licensed contractor.
Run your own shop
New York has no state plumbing contractor license. Cities and counties license plumbing contractors, so check with the building department where you work.
- Issued by
- City or county
$77,490
a year is the median for plumbers in New York ($37.26 an hour, May 2025).3
Pay by city and percentile- Binghamton$42.30
- New York–Newark$37.79
- Albany–Schenectady$37.24
- Rochester$35.38
- Utica–Rome$35.00
Questions
Do you need a license to work on your own as a plumber in New York?
New York has no state plumbing contractor license; cities and counties license contractors.1
Are plumbers in demand in New York?
Projections Central expects about 1,990 plumber openings a year in New York through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.2
Find an apprenticeship near you
25 registered programs in New York. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.
Find a programMore for plumbers in New York
Sources
- NYC Department of Buildings (city only (nyc.gov, 2026-10-27)
- Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, New York, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)