A plumber in a red shirt fits the drain pipes under a sink

Plumbing school by state

277 plumbing programs in 43 states and 1 territory, with costs, results and funding that can make them free

197 schools offer these programs, and each state on this page approved its programs for workforce funding. Compare the states below, then open one to see each program with its price and how past students did.

Plumbers install and repair pipes, fixtures and piping systems. Most learn the trade in a four- or five-year apprenticeship, and most states and some cities require plumbers to be licensed.¹

Compare plumbing school by state: cost, pay and results

Plumbing school by state
State	Programs	Most cost	Earned a year, estimated	Working 6 months later	Finished
Alabama	1	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Alaska	2	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Arizona	5	$1,950 to $2,804	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Arkansas	2	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
California	7	$850 to $1,288	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Colorado	2	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Connecticut	1	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Delaware	2	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Florida	11	$3,188 to $4,354	about $36,000	52%	67%
Georgia	1	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Idaho	15	$2,590 to $3,600	Not reported	Not reported	93%
Illinois	8	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Indiana	12	$2,749 to $5,840	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Iowa	3	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Kentucky	5	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Louisiana	1	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Maine	3	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Massachusetts	1	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Michigan	7	$4,025 to $11,424	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Minnesota	12	$5,747 to $6,591	about $35,000	82%	64%
Mississippi	5	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Missouri	8	$6,651 to $10,719	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Montana	1	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Nebraska	5	$3,750 to $4,480	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Nevada	4	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
New Hampshire	7	$1,500 to $2,200	about $35,100	Not reported	92%
New Jersey	4	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
New Mexico	1	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
North Carolina	8	$249 to $3,193	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
North Dakota	2	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Ohio	17	$2,432 to $7,897	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Oklahoma	3	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Pennsylvania	13	$4,070 to $14,490	Not reported	Not reported	100%
Puerto Rico	1	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Rhode Island	1	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
South Carolina	1	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
South Dakota	4	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Tennessee	3	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Texas	44	$1,610 to $4,744	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Utah	6	$2,586 to $3,466	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Virginia	8	$855 to $2,509	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Washington	23	$1,125 to $1,500	Not reported	Not reported	76%
Wisconsin	6	$2,447 to $2,794	about $63,600	76%	30%
Wyoming	1	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported

Each figure is the middle program in that state. Yearly earnings are the reported quarter times four, an estimate. Only programs approved for workforce funding are counted; other schools may offer plumbing school too. Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025).How these figures are made

Is there free plumbing school in the US?

WIOA funding can pay for plumbing school in the US

Every program on this page is approved for WIOA funding: public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. It can pay for training for eligible adults, people who lost their job and young people.²People on public assistance, with a low income or lacking basic skills come first, and veterans have priority.³Your state or local area may limit how much WIOA pays and for how long. If a program costs more, a Pell Grant, a scholarship or severance pay can cover the rest.⁴

Ask at an American Job Center

Eligibility rules apply, and services vary from state to state. Your local American Job Center can tell you whether you qualify. The Department of Labor's page links to the center finder, or call 1-877-US-2JOBS (1-877-872-5627).⁵

Or pay for plumbing school yourself

Without funding, prices differ by state: most plumbing programs cost $1,125 to $1,500 in Washington and $6,651 to $10,719 in Missouri. Each state's page lists every program with its price.

Does WIOA pay for job training? Who qualifies and how to apply

Where the plumbing program numbers by state come from

Which plumbing programs are counted?

Programs each state approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), from the US Department of Labor's file for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025), covering programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).⁵ Schools that never applied for approval are missing.

What the figures for each state mean

Each figure is the middle program among those that report it: half did better, half did worse. Prices are what most programs cost if you pay yourself (the middle half). Earnings are for the second quarter after students left, times four. Where too few programs report a figure, the table says "Not reported".

Other training by state

Approved programs per trade across every state. Each opens that trade's comparison by state.

Sources for the facts about plumbing school

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