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Licensed plumbers in Erie County, NY, Greater Buffalo Metro Area: Workforce, Wages & Demand

Licensed supply, credential mix, wages and demand for plumbers in Erie County, NY, from the state register (updated nightly) and BLS.

Erie County, NY carries 647 licensed plumbers and a median wage of $72,230/yr ($34.73/hr).

647
licensed plumbers
$72,230
median annual wage (BLS OEWS, metro area)
54
construction demand index

See where plumbers earn more near you

A free report on your market: what the trade pays here, where your credential sits against the local licensed workforce, and the nearby counties that pay more, with the difference and the distance. No account needed.

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How the pay compares

This county sits at the 75th percentile nationally for plumbers pay, above the median US county. Average weekly wages across the county's construction trades rose 2.1% year over year (BLS QCEW).

Where plumbers earn more near Erie County

Counties within 150 miles whose published median for this occupation is higher than Erie County's. Medians from the same BLS OEWS series shown above, not offers, and pay is only one reason to move.

CountyMedianDifferenceDistance
Tioga County, NY$87,990+$15,760133 mi
Wyoming County, NY$77,490+$5,26028 mi
Genesee County, NY$77,490+$5,26034 mi
Cattaraugus County, NY$77,490+$5,26036 mi
Chautauqua County, NY$77,490+$5,26045 mi

Licensed workforce by level

Journeyman485
Master162

Licensed Plumber contractors near Erie County

Active, licensed firms and master-tier individuals on the NY register.

NameTier
Adam BlatnerMaster
Adam ThompsonMaster
Alan BoneMaster
Alexander ViolantiMaster
Americo EilenfeldtMaster
Andrew KellerMaster

Who entered and left in the last 12 months

Counted from ATI's nightly diff of the NY register itself, over the trailing year. Runs that failed a data-quality gate are excluded, so a scraper outage is never reported as workers leaving.

MovementWorkersWhat it means
New licenses issued6People who entered the licensed workforce here.
Licenses lapsed15Expired or not renewed. Retirement, relocation or leaving the trade.
Moved up a credential tier1Apprentice to journeyman, journeyman to master, and so on.
Net change-9New licenses minus lapsed. Negative means the licensed base shrank.

Who employs plumbers here

Employment from the BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages for the industry this trade sits in; payroll from the Census County Business Patterns. Establishment counts are QCEW where the county is disclosed and an ATI estimate otherwise.

MeasureValueWhat it counts
Employer establishments244Physical business locations in this industry.
Industry employment3,884Everyone on those payrolls, not only licensed trades.
Annual industry payroll$255MTotal wages paid across those establishments (Census CBP, 2023).

How much work is in Erie County

County-wide construction activity, across all trades rather than plumbers specifically. Each figure names its source and the period it covers.

MeasureValueWhat it means for you
New housing units permitted1,213Last full year, county-wide. 13 per 10,000 residents. Permits lead construction hiring by months, so this is the earliest honest signal of work arriving (Census Building Permits Survey).
Construction employment13,210Everyone working in construction in this county, all trades and office staff. Average pay $1,652 per week. BLS QCEW.
Median year homes were built1957Older stock means more repair, replacement and retrofit work, which is steadier than new build and does not stop in a downturn (Census ACS).
Net migration-4,079People who moved in minus people who moved out, from IRS address changes. Arrivals need housing, wiring, plumbing and heat.

Density and pipeline

6.8 licensed plumbers per 10,000 residents; 51 licensed holders per 100 estimated workers in the trade; 0.8 apprentices per 10,000 residents. A thin pipeline against an ageing licensed base is how a shortage forms years before it shows up in wages.

Common questions

How many licensed plumbers are in Erie County, NY?
Erie County has 647 licensed plumbers on the NY register.
What do plumbers earn in Erie County?
The median annual wage for this occupation in this market is $72,230 ($34.73/hour), per BLS OEWS.
Is this a job board?
No. This page is ATI's own licensed-workforce and market data for this county and trade. Job listings above, where present, are an additive real-time layer, not the page's core content.
Is this page for Buffalo specifically?
This page covers all of Erie County, NY, which is part of the Greater Buffalo metro area (the Census-defined metro this county belongs to), so it includes but is not limited to Buffalo proper.

License register: 2026-10-05; Wages: 2025-05-31; Demand: 2026-10-05; Apprenticeship: 2025-12-31.

Related pages

County
Erie County, NY skilled trades market
Electrician
Electricians in Erie County, NY
Market
New York licensed trades supply
Statewide
How many plumbers in New York
This number changes tonight.

This page is a free snapshot of plumbers in Erie County, NY. Track the same market every night and see which contractors just got licensed, added a trade, or dropped off, and pull the full record, with contact details where available, on any of them. Get the weekly intelligence email on the markets you follow. ATI is in private beta; apply for access.

From the Index: New York

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