Plumber Salary in Tennessee (2026)
The average Plumber in Tennessee earns around $56,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $47,176/year ($3,931/month).
Take-Home Pay Breakdown
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
Annual Take-Home Pay | $47,176 |
Monthly Take-Home Pay | $3,931 |
Biweekly Take-Home Pay | $1,814 |
Hourly Take-Home Pay based on 2,080 hrs/year | $23/hr |
Federal Tax | $4,540 |
State Tax | $0 |
FICA Taxes | $4,284 |
Effective Tax Rate total taxes ÷ gross salary | 15.76% |
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Working overtime? The 2025 OBBBA deduction may save you up to $12,500 on federal tax. Open the No Tax on Overtime calculator →
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Plumber Salary Ranges in Tennessee
Not all Plumbers earn the same — not even close
TN plumbing splits across three coherent corridors. Middle TN (Nashville commercial boom + HCA facility + Vanderbilt UMC + residential service) is the largest dollar pipeline. East TN (Oak Ridge federal-cleared + Y-12 + TVA nuclear + Eastman Chemical industrial) is the federal + industrial specialty depth. West TN (FedEx World HQ facilities + Methodist Le Bonheur + Memphis residential) rounds out the corridor. UA Local 572 Nashville (~2,500 members) anchors Middle TN scale; UA Local 17 Memphis + UA Local 102 Chattanooga + UA Local 718 Knoxville cover the metros.
Master Plumber / Service Manager
$105,000–$165,000 + commission
Top of trade · running operations · TN Master Plumber license + 4+ yrs journeyman required
Journeyman Plumber (Commercial)
$78,000–$125,000 (often $38-58/hr)
UA Local 572 Nashville scale + OT · 5+ yrs post-apprenticeship · commercial / healthcare premium
Journeyman Plumber (Residential Service)
$65,000–$105,000 commission
Roto-Rooter · Hiller Plumbing · Lee Co · 8-12% revenue commission · Nashville + Memphis MSAs
Pipefitter (Industrial / Mechanical)
$95,000–$155,000 with OT
UA Local 572 industrial · Eastman Chemical Kingsport · Bridgestone manufacturing · steam + process
Federal-Cleared Plumber (ORNL / Y-12 / TVA)
$95,000–$155,000 + clearance premium
ORNL · Y-12 NSC · TVA hydropower + nuclear · clearance $15-30K premium · federal-locality
Foreman / Supervisor (Commercial)
$115,000–$185,000
Project oversight · running crews of 8-20 · OT typical · large commercial GC jobsites
Owner-Operator (Small Shop)
$135,000–$345,000 combined
Independent service company · 5-25 employees · S-corp distribution + owner draw · post-acquisition pressure
Apprentice (Year 1-5)
$38,000–$72,000
UA Local 572 apprenticeship 5 years · TN L&I-registered · pay rises ~5-7% per year · classroom + jobsite
Construction PM / Project Foreman
$95,000–$175,000
Skanska · Hoar · Turner · JE Dunn · DPR · Oracle Cumberland + Nashville Yards + BNA + HCA capital
Healthcare Facility Plumber (HCA / Vanderbilt UMC)
$85,000–$135,000
HCA capital · Vanderbilt UMC · Methodist Le Bonheur · MEP-integrated + TJC compliance specialty
Worth knowing: East TN federal-cleared plumbing is the TN-distinctive specialty no inland state matches. ORNL ($2B/yr DOE, ~5K employees), Y-12 NSC Oak Ridge (nuclear weapons production + uranium processing, ~7K employees), TVA Sequoyah + Watts Bar + Browns Ferry nuclear plants, plus Eastman Chemical Kingsport (~14K employees, $10B+ revenue specialty chemicals) all maintain ongoing capital programs requiring cleared and / or industrial-pipefitting plumbers. ORNL + Y-12 TS/SCI clearance adds $15-30K premium plus job security. Eastman industrial pipefitting (steam + process + cooling water + specialty chemical reactor systems) is its own technical specialty — senior pipefitters at Eastman + Bridgestone + Nissan manufacturing facilities clear $135-185K cash with sustained OT. The federal-cleared + industrial bench is materially larger than KY / AR / MS / GA peer states.
Plumbers, OBBBA OT, TN labor law, and the Nashville construction boom + East TN federal infrastructure cycle
$12,500
OBBBA OT deduction cap (single, 2025-2028) — qualifying premium pay
0%
TN state income tax — OBBBA flows through cleanly; no state add-back
40/wk
TN OT trigger — federal FLSA 40/week (no state daily-OT rule like CA or CO)
~2,500
UA Local 572 Nashville membership — Middle TN union scale anchor
The 2025 No-Tax-on-Overtime federal deduction is the headline tax change for TN plumbers. For tax years 2025-2028, qualifying -required OT premium (the 'half' of time-and-a-half) is deductible above-the-line federally — cap $12,500 single / $25,000 . Phaseout starts at $150K MAGI single / $300K MFJ at $100 per $1,000, fully phased out at $275K / $550K. Most TN journeyman plumbers fall under the phaseout threshold and capture the full deduction.
For a TN union journeyman at $48/hour running 50-hour weeks × 48 weeks during construction-busy season, OT totals ~480 hours/year at $72/hour. The premium portion (the 'half') is $11,520/year — under the $12,500 single cap. At the 22% federal bracket plus TN 0% income tax, that's roughly $2,535 federal savings/yr through 2028. Construction inspector at $42/hour with comparable hours saves $2,100+ via .
TN conforms to federal but charges 0% state income tax — the OT deduction flows through cleanly with no state-level add-back or pickup. This is mechanically cleaner than CA, OR, NY, or other state-income-tax states where OBBBA conformity must be tracked.
TN does NOT have a daily OT trigger (unlike CA's 8-hour or CO's 12-hour daily-OT rules). Federal 40/week threshold applies. TN Prevailing Wage (TN Code Title 12 Chapter 4) sets minimum wage + benefits on state-funded projects — typically 1.5× regular rate for OT plus apprentice ratios. TDOT, TVA, ORNL, Y-12, plus federal facilities all carry prevailing wage requirements.
Nashville Front Range / Music City construction cycle has been sustained since 2020 — Oracle Cumberland $1.2B (under construction through 2031), Nashville Yards $2.5B (Amazon HQ East + AllianceBernstein + hotel + residential), Music City Center expansion, BNA Vision $1.4B airport, HCA Healthcare $1B+ annual capital across ~190 hospitals + ~50 surgery centers. Federal IIJA infrastructure + TVA capital cycle + ORNL + Y-12 capital programs drive sustained demand through 2030.
East TN federal infrastructure + Eastman Chemical industrial pipefitting is the TN-distinctive specialty. ORNL $2B/yr DOE research + Y-12 NSC nuclear weapons production + TVA Sequoyah + Watts Bar + Browns Ferry nuclear plants maintain ongoing capital programs requiring cleared plumbers + industrial pipefitters. Eastman Chemical Kingsport (~14K employees, $10B+ revenue) industrial pipefitting (steam + process + specialty chemical reactor systems) is its own technical specialty bench at $135-185K cash with sustained OT.
Union vs non-union: UA Local 572 Nashville (~2,500) runs commercial scale ($38-58/hour journeyman + benefits + pension), UA Local 17 Memphis serves West TN, UA Local 102 Chattanooga + UA Local 718 Knoxville cover their metros. Non-union service (Roto-Rooter, Hiller, Lee Company, Bell Plumbing) pays commission. Country club + executive residential premium (Belle Meade, Forest Hills, Williamson Co) pays 15-25% above standard service.
Tennessee as a plumber — Nashville commercial + HCA facility, East TN federal-cleared (ORNL + Y-12 + TVA), Eastman industrial pipefitting, Memphis FedEx
Nashville commercial plumbing is dominated by sustained construction. Oracle Cumberland campus $1.2B, Nashville Yards $2.5B mixed-use, Music City Center expansion, BNA Vision $1.4B airport, plus the steady multifamily + commercial high-rise pipeline on the Cumberland riverfront. UA Local 572 Nashville apprenticeship produces ~80-120 journeymen/year — not enough to keep up with sustained demand. Service plumbing demand from rapid metro residential growth (~600K new TN residents 2020-2024) keeps the non-union segment hopping.
HCA Healthcare facility plumbing is the TN-distinctive specialty. HCA's $1B+ annual hospital capital spend across ~190 hospitals + ~50 surgery centers drives sustained healthcare-facility plumbing work. Vanderbilt UMC capital + Methodist Le Bonheur + Ardent Health + Lifepoint hospital systems add parallel facility-plumbing demand. Healthcare facility plumbing requires Joint Commission compliance + ASSE 6010/6020 medical gas piping certification + OSHA hospital safety standards — specialty depth that commands 10-15% premium over standard commercial.
East TN federal-cleared work is the TN plumbing specialty that doesn't exist at this depth in most states. Oak Ridge National Laboratory + Y-12 National Security Complex (nuclear weapons production + uranium processing) + TVA Sequoyah + Watts Bar + Browns Ferry nuclear plants all maintain ongoing capital programs requiring cleared plumbers. TS/SCI clearance adds $15-30K premium plus job security through contracting cycles. ORNL + Y-12 facilities together employ ~12K direct workforce with a substantial pipefitting + maintenance subcontractor base.
Eastman Chemical Kingsport industrial pipefitting + Memphis FedEx logistics facility work round out the corridor. Eastman Chemical (~14K employees, $10B+ revenue specialty chemicals) maintains a ~300+ industrial pipefitter base across steam + process + cooling water + specialty chemical reactor systems. FedEx World Headquarters Memphis (~9K HQ employees) plus FedEx SuperHub Memphis (largest US air cargo facility) drive sustained facility-plumbing work. Methodist Le Bonheur Memphis Med District adds healthcare facility plumbing.
How TN taxes work for plumbers — 0% income, OBBBA OT deduction flow-through, prevailing-wage stacking
TN charges 0% state income tax — substantial advantage at every plumber comp tier. At journeyman $95K, TN saves ~$6,800 versus CA's 8.0% blended and $7,050 versus OR's 9.9% top bracket. At senior pipefitter $145K with sustained OT, TN saves ~$10,400+ versus CA. At master plumber + service manager $135K, $9,650 versus CA. Over 25-30 year career, TN-vs-CA-or-OR delta compounds to $250-450K+.
No-Tax-on-Overtime (2025-2028) flows through cleanly at TN's 0% state tax — the deduction applies only at federal level since TN has no state income tax to offset against. Most TN journeymen plumbers capture the full $12,500 single / $25,000 cap if their qualifying OT premium meets the threshold.
TN prevailing wage on public works (TN Code Title 12 Chapter 4) stacks favorably with . TDOT + TVA + ORNL + Y-12 + state-funded healthcare facility work all carry prevailing wage — typically 15-25% above market scale, plus OT at 1.5× regular rate. OBBBA OT deduction applies to the prevailing-wage OT premium portion.
TN combined sales tax averages 9.55% (highest alongside LA) — regressive offset at apprentice + journeyman tiers ($38-125K). At master plumber + senior pipefitter levels small relative to comp. TN doesn't exempt groceries from sales tax (one of 13 states fully taxing food).
- →Capture employer match before anything else. UA Local 572 pension plan (defined-benefit, ~3% accrual per year vested) plus secondary 401(k) match at signatory contractors (typically 3-6%). Non-union service plumbing employers (Roto-Rooter, Hiller, Lee, Bell Plumbing) match 3-4% typical. HCA facility plumber tier match 50% on first 9% = 4.5% effective. TVA + ORNL combine FERS pension + match up to 5%.
- →Max your ($24,500 in 2026). At TN 0% state plus federal 22-24% brackets, every $1,000 deferred saves $220-$240. Most TN journeyman plumbers are in the 22-24% federal bracket — pre-tax 401(k) is the right choice; Roth 401(k) is more attractive at 12% bracket apprentices.
- →Capture OT deduction (2025-2028). Most non-exempt TN journeymen + apprentices + service plumbers fall below the $150K single phaseout and capture the full $12,500 single / $25,000 federal deduction. Track qualifying OT hours separately on pay stubs.
- →Master plumber license is the single highest-ROI move in TN plumbing. Master license requires 4+ yrs journeyman experience plus passing the TN Department of Commerce and Insurance master plumber exam. Master plumber comp typically runs 20-30% above journeyman at equivalent experience plus opens service-manager / shop-owner career paths.
- →TS/SCI clearance for federal-cleared work (ORNL + Y-12 + TVA nuclear) adds $15-30K premium plus a smoother career through contracting cycles. Clearance process takes 12-24 months and requires no felonies, debt, foreign-contact disclosure, financial-record review. Worth pursuing if early-career + interested in federal-program plumbing.
- →Owner-operator path. TN plumbing shop sale valuations settled to 3-5x SDE (seller's discretionary earnings) in 2024-25 from 5-7x peak of 2020-22 — still favorable. Senior service plumbers with 10-15 yrs experience + master license + customer base routinely build $1-2.5M+ shops over a career — TN 0% income tax keeps accumulated distributions tax-efficient.
Three TN metros for plumbers — Nashville commercial + HCA facility, East TN ORNL + Y-12 + TVA + Eastman, Memphis FedEx + Methodist
TN plumbing splits sharply by region + project. Nashville is commercial + HCA facility + Vanderbilt UMC + residential service. East TN (Knoxville + Oak Ridge + Kingsport) is ORNL + Y-12 + TVA nuclear + Eastman Chemical industrial. West TN (Memphis) is FedEx World HQ + Methodist Le Bonheur + Memphis MSA residential.
Nashville (Commercial + HCA Facility + Vanderbilt UMC + Residential)
Apprentice $38-72K · Journeyman $78-125K (UA Local 572 $38-58/hr) · Master / Foreman $105-185K · Owner-operator $135-345KTN's plumbing core. UA Local 572 Nashville (~2,500 members) anchors the union scale. Oracle Cumberland $1.2B + Nashville Yards $2.5B + BNA $1.4B + Music City Center + HCA $1B+ annual capital drive commercial demand. Vanderbilt UMC + Methodist Le Bonheur + Ardent + Lifepoint healthcare facility plumbing. Residential service from metro growth (~600K new TN residents 2020-2024).
Most Nashville plumbers live in mid-priced suburbs — Hermitage ($385-625K), Antioch ($325-525K), Madison ($350-575K), Murfreesboro ($425-685K), Mt Juliet ($475-725K). Davidson County 0.71% property tax effective.
East TN (Knoxville / Oak Ridge / Kingsport — Federal + Eastman)
Apprentice $38-72K · Journeyman $78-125K (UA Local 718) · Federal-cleared $95-155K + clearance · Eastman pipefitter $115-175K + OTEast TN's federal + industrial plumbing corridor. ORNL Oak Ridge ($2B/yr DOE) + Y-12 NSC (nuclear weapons production) + TVA Sequoyah + Watts Bar + Browns Ferry nuclear plants drive federal-cleared plumbing. Eastman Chemical Kingsport (~14K employees) industrial pipefitting (steam + process + specialty chemical). UA Local 718 Knoxville + UA Local 102 Chattanooga (Chattanooga additional metro) cover regional union scale.
Most East TN plumbers live near workplace — Oak Ridge ($325-585K), Farragut ($425-725K Knoxville suburb), Kingsport ($245-485K Eastman commute), Greenville ($265-485K family). Knox County 0.85% + Sullivan County 0.85% property tax.
Memphis (FedEx World HQ Facilities + Methodist + AutoZone)
Apprentice $35-65K · Journeyman $72-115K (UA Local 17) · Master / Foreman $95-165K · Owner-operator $115-285KWest TN's plumbing corridor. FedEx World HQ + FedEx SuperHub Memphis (largest US air cargo facility) drive sustained facility plumbing. AutoZone HQ (~6K corporate, ~7,100 stores) + International Paper Memphis. Methodist Le Bonheur Memphis Med District (~8,000 employees). UA Local 17 Memphis anchors the union scale.
East Memphis ($425-825K SF master / foreman), Bartlett ($350-650K family-stage), Germantown / Collierville ($550-1,150K family senior), Midtown ($325-625K historic). Shelby County 1.31% property tax — higher than Davidson.
The TN plumber career arc — apprentice through master plumber or shop owner
TN plumbing careers typically start with UA Local 572 Nashville 5-yr apprenticeship (~30-50 new apprentices/year), UA Local 17 Memphis apprenticeship, UA Local 102 Chattanooga, UA Local 718 Knoxville, or non-union ABC / private-shop training. TN L&I-registered apprenticeship programs combine 8,000 jobsite hours + 1,000+ classroom hours over 5 years. Apprentice pay $38-72K rising ~5-7% per year. TN plumbing license requires passing the TN Department of Commerce and Insurance plumbing exam at year 5.
Journeyman plumber (years 5-10): comp $78-125K cash + benefits + pension contributions. UA Local 572 commercial scale $38-58/hour plus health + retirement benefits + apprenticeship dues. Sustained OT during construction-busy seasons routinely pushes total comp to $95-145K. Specialty fork at year 7-8 between commercial / industrial pipefitting / healthcare facility / federal-cleared / residential service.
Master plumber / foreman (years 10-18): comp $105-185K. TN master plumber exam at year 7-10. Master license opens foreman / superintendent / service-manager career path plus shop-ownership eligibility. Senior pipefitters specializing in Eastman Chemical industrial work or federal-cleared facilities clear $135-185K annual with sustained OT.
Owner-operator / senior specialty (years 18+): independent plumbing shop ownership $135-345K combined cash + distribution + practice equity. TN plumbing shop sale valuations 3-5x SDE in 2024-25 (down from 5-7x peak 2020-22). Senior service plumbers with master license + 15+ yrs experience + loyal customer base routinely build $1-2.5M+ shop equity. TN's 0% income tax keeps accumulated distributions tax-efficient throughout career.
Where TN plumbers live — Hermitage, Antioch, Mt Juliet, plus Oak Ridge for federal-cleared, East Memphis
TN plumbers cluster in mid-priced suburbs serving their region. Nashville plumbers to Hermitage, Antioch, Mt Juliet, Madison, Murfreesboro. East TN to Oak Ridge / Knoxville (federal-cleared + ORNL + TVA), Kingsport (Eastman Chemical). Memphis plumbers to East Memphis, Bartlett, Germantown, Collierville. Federal-cleared plumbers near ORNL / Y-12 / TVA bases.
Hermitage (Nashville east)
$385-625K SF · 20-30 min to Nashville commercial jobsites · UA Local 572 standard residential
Antioch / Madison (Nashville suburbs)
$325-575K SF · 20-30 min downtown · solid Nashville plumber + family residential
Mt Juliet / Lebanon (Wilson Co)
$475-725K SF · 25-35 min downtown · family-stage Nashville plumber + Walking Horse country
Murfreesboro / Smyrna (Rutherford Co)
$425-685K SF · 30-45 min downtown · family-stage Nashville + Nissan Smyrna commute
Oak Ridge / Farragut (ORNL + Y-12 + Knoxville)
$325-725K SF · 5-15 min ORNL + Y-12 · federal-cleared plumber + clearance premium
Kingsport / Bristol (Eastman Chemical industrial)
$245-485K SF · 5-15 min Eastman · industrial pipefitter + OT-heavy residential
East Memphis (Memphis mid-career)
$425-825K SF · 10-15 min downtown · senior FedEx + AutoZone + Methodist facility
Bartlett / Cordova (Memphis family)
$350-650K SF · 20-30 min downtown · family-stage Memphis plumber residential
TN plumbing is car-dependent throughout — service trucks, tool transport, plus jobsite access drive personal vehicle + company truck. UA Local 572 + UA Local 17 + UA Local 718 + UA Local 102 union halls serve as dispatch points. Most plumbers anchor their residence within 30-45 min of primary jobsite + dispatch.
Is this the right move?
TN for plumbers — who it actually works for
Working in your favor
- +TN 0% state income tax saves $6,800-$10,400+/yr depending on tier — substantial advantage over CA, NC, GA at every comp level
- +OBBBA No-Tax-on-Overtime federal deduction flows through cleanly with no state add-back — most TN journeymen capture the full $12,500 single / $25,000 MFJ cap through 2028
- +Nashville construction boom (Oracle Cumberland $1.2B + Nashville Yards $2.5B + BNA $1.4B + HCA $1B+ annual capital) provides multi-decade commercial PM pipeline
- +East TN federal-cleared work (ORNL + Y-12 NSC + TVA nuclear) + Eastman Chemical industrial pipefitting are TN-distinctive specialty depth no inland state matches
- +UA Local 572 Nashville + UA Local 17 Memphis + UA Local 718 Knoxville + UA Local 102 Chattanooga provide union scale with defined-benefit pensions + apprenticeship infrastructure
Worth knowing before you sign
- −TN does NOT have a daily OT trigger like CA (8 hrs) or CO (12 hrs) — federal FLSA 40/week governs, fewer OT-stacking opportunities than CA peers
- −Senior pipefitter comp ceilings ($135-185K Eastman / $115-185K commercial master) trail major coastal specialty markets at the very top end
- −TN combined sales tax averages 9.55% (highest alongside LA) — regressive offset at apprentice + journeyman tiers
- −East TN federal-cleared work requires 12-24 month clearance investigation — career pivot from corporate plumbing slower than reverse direction
- −TN plumbing shop sale valuations settled to 3-5x SDE in 2024-25 (down from 5-7x peak 2020-22) — owner-operator retirement exit math has compressed
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