Licensed supply, wages, demand, and real current openings for plumbers in Salem city, VA, from the state register (updated nightly), BLS, and live job listings.
Salem city, VA carries a median wage of $51,700/yr ($24.86/hr).
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.
This county sits at the 8th percentile nationally for plumbers pay, below the median US county. Average weekly wages across the county's construction trades fell 0.5% year over year (BLS QCEW).
Counties within 150 miles whose published median for this occupation is higher than Salem city's. Medians from the same BLS OEWS series shown above, not offers, and pay is only one reason to move.
| County | Median | Difference | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Culpeper County, VA | $71,860 | +$20,160 | 141 mi |
| Rappahannock County, VA | $71,860 | +$20,160 | 141 mi |
| Spotsylvania County, VA | $71,860 | +$20,160 | 145 mi |
| Pike County, KY | $64,160 | +$12,460 | 130 mi |
| Martin County, KY | $64,160 | +$12,460 | 139 mi |
Real, current plumbers openings, 0 in Salem city itself, 12 elsewhere in the metro area (marked). Jobs by Adzuna.
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.
| Measure | Value | What it counts |
|---|---|---|
| Employer establishments | 16 | Physical business locations in this industry. |
| Industry employment | 330 | Everyone on those payrolls, not only licensed trades. |
| Annual industry payroll | $12M | Total wages paid across those establishments (Census CBP, 2023). |
County-wide construction activity, across all trades rather than plumbers specifically. Each figure names its source and the period it covers.
| Measure | Value | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| New housing units permitted | 17 | Last full year, county-wide. 7 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 employment | 562 | Everyone working in construction in this county, all trades and office staff. Average pay $1,254 per week. BLS QCEW. |
| Median year homes were built | 1971 | Older 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 | +97 | People who moved in minus people who moved out, from IRS address changes. Arrivals need housing, wiring, plumbing and heat. |
2.3 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.
Wages: 2025-05-31; Demand: 2026-10-05; Apprenticeship: 2025-12-31.
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