Plumbing and Related Water Supply Services: earnings, debt, and careers
CIP 46.05. Official graduate outcomes from the U.S. Department of Education across 264 programs, and the careers this field is linked to.
Graduate earnings by credential level
| Credential | Programs | Graduates (recent year) | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Typical program median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate certificate | 209 | 3,126 | $41,980 | $49,996 | $8,442 17 programs |
| Associate's degree | 55 | 345 | $59,151 | $67,499 | $9,750 3 programs |
National earnings are published by the Department of Education for each field and credential level Verified data. Typical program median debt is ConnectPrep's calculation: the median across programs of each program's median federal debt Calculated estimate. It covers federal loans only.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most Recent Field of Study Data. Varies by measure; see measure definitions. Published October 15, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Undergraduate certificate programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emily Griffith Technical College CO · Public · 34 graduates measured | $101,105 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Fox Valley Technical College WI · Public · 33 graduates measured | $92,533 | Data unavailable | $9,181 |
| Saint Paul College MN · Public · 28 graduates measured | $89,442 | $106,325 | $8,250 |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Kennedy-King College IL · Public · 25 graduates measured | $68,478 | $80,012 | Data unavailable |
| Perry Technical Institute WA · Private, nonprofit · 37 graduates measured | $48,888 | Data unavailable | $7,892 |
| Berk Trade and Business School NY · Private, for-profit · 49 graduates measured | $42,916 | $46,884 | $6,333 |
| Adult and Continuing Education-BCTS NJ · Public · 28 graduates measured | $42,613 | Data unavailable | $6,978 |
| Hennepin Technical College MN · Public · 23 graduates measured | $41,954 | $60,670 | Data unavailable |
| Ranken Technical College MO · Private, nonprofit · 80 graduates measured | $41,193 | $70,407 | $8,250 |
| Porter & Chester Institute CT · Private, for-profit · 89 graduates measured | $39,712 | Data unavailable | $13,910 |
| Hohokus School of Trade and Technical Sciences NJ · Private, for-profit · 70 graduates measured | $39,444 | $36,892 | $10,497 |
| Apex Technical School NY · Private, nonprofit · 202 graduates measured | $39,313 | $45,134 | $9,500 |
| Pennco Tech-Bristol PA · Private, for-profit · 48 graduates measured | $38,247 | $49,946 | $5,500 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Elizabethton TN · Public · 23 graduates measured | $33,714 | $45,385 | Data unavailable |
| NUC University PR · Private, for-profit · 154 graduates measured | $25,760 | $21,656 | $9,500 |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Associate's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ivy Tech Community College IN · Public · 46 graduates measured | $94,410 | $93,701 | $5,500 |
| New England Institute of Technology RI · Private, nonprofit · 27 graduates measured | $49,923 | $54,989 | $12,000 |
| Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology PA · Public · 20 graduates measured | $39,743 | Data unavailable | $9,750 |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Careers linked to Plumbing and Related Water Supply Services
| Occupation | Median wage, all workers | Change 2025 to 2035 | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers | $79,920 | +5.0% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters | $63,800 | +6.8% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners | $49,880 | +7.8% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Derrick operators, oil and gas | $58,620 | +1.6% | No formal educational credential |
| Rotary drill operators, oil and gas | $67,890 | +0.8% | No formal educational credential |
| Earth drillers, except oil and gas | $60,190 | +3.6% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters | $61,390 | 0.0% | High school diploma or equivalent |
Occupations mapped to this field in the NCES and BLS CIP to SOC crosswalk. Occupation wages describe all workers, not recent graduates.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk. CIP 2020 and SOC 2018 taxonomies. Published April 30, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, National. May 2025 reference period. Published April 30, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, Table 1.2: Occupational projections, 2025-35, and worker characteristics, 2025. Base year 2025, projected year 2035. Published August 27, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Detailed CIP codes in this field (5)
- 46.0502 Pipefitting/Pipefitter and Sprinkler Fitter
- 46.0503 Plumbing Technology/Plumber
- 46.0504 Well Drilling/Driller
- 46.0505 Blasting/Blaster
- 46.0599 Plumbing and Related Water Supply Services, Other