Plumbers, Pipefitters & Steamfitters salary in Birmingham, AL
Median pay for plumbers, pipefitters & steamfitters in Birmingham, AL: $55,550/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $36,250 – $70,710 · about 2,170 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($59,690) by −$4,140 (-7%).
What it's really worth in Birmingham
With Birmingham's cost of living at 92 (US=100), that $55,550 has the buying power of about $60,535 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $68,329 · median home $262,556 · median rent $1,448/mo.
How Birmingham ranks for this job
On raw pay, Birmingham, AL is 117th of the 187 metros we hold plumbers, pipefitters & steamfitters wages for. Once Birmingham's cost of living is applied, it ranks 91st.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Birmingham is one of the places where plumbers, pipefitters & steamfitters gain ground in real terms, because local costs are low relative to what the job pays.
What that salary buys in Birmingham
A median home in Birmingham, AL costs $262,556 — about 4.7× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,448/mo works out at 31% of gross pay — above the conventional 30% affordability ceiling, so renting would stretch this salary.
Where plumbers, pipefitters & steamfitters earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Birmingham.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Birmingham | Rent vs Birmingham |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL | $101,560 | +83% | 1.6× |
| Kennewick, WA | $97,150 | +75% | 1.2× |
| Minneapolis, MN | $96,200 | +73% | 1.2× |
| Duluth, MN | $88,000 | +58% | 1× |
Same job elsewhere in AL
| Metro | Median pay | vs Birmingham | Rent vs Birmingham |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile, AL | $58,280 | +5% | 0.9× |
| Tuscaloosa, AL | $53,080 | −4% | 1× |
| Huntsville, AL | $51,150 | −8% | 1× |
| Montgomery, AL | $49,330 | −11% | 1× |
Staying in AL keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Other jobs in Birmingham
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 187 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.