Plumbers, Pipefitters & Steamfitters salary in San Luis Obispo, CA
Median pay for plumbers, pipefitters & steamfitters in San Luis Obispo, CA: $61,040/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $39,180 – $104,270 · about 390 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($59,690) by +$1,350 (+2%).
What it's really worth in San Luis Obispo
With San Luis Obispo's cost of living at 111 (US=100), that $61,040 has the buying power of about $54,981 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $90,158 · median home $909,699 · median rent $2,855/mo.
How San Luis Obispo ranks for this job
On raw pay, San Luis Obispo, CA is 78th of the 187 metros we hold plumbers, pipefitters & steamfitters wages for. Once San Luis Obispo's cost of living is applied, it ranks 135th.
The headline number flatters San Luis Obispo. Once housing and everyday costs are taken into account, plumbers, pipefitters & steamfitters here keep less of what they earn than the raw salary implies.
What that salary buys in San Luis Obispo
A median home in San Luis Obispo, CA costs $909,699 — about 14.9× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $2,855/mo works out at 56% 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 San Luis Obispo.
| Metro | Median pay | vs San Luis Obispo | Rent vs San Luis Obispo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL | $101,560 | +66% | 0.8× |
| Kennewick, WA | $97,150 | +59% | 0.6× |
| Minneapolis, MN | $96,200 | +58% | 0.6× |
| Duluth, MN | $88,000 | +44% | 0.5× |
Same job elsewhere in CA
| Metro | Median pay | vs San Luis Obispo | Rent vs San Luis Obispo |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $86,370 | +41% | 1.3× |
| San Francisco, CA | $75,840 | +24% | 1.1× |
| Santa Cruz, CA | $64,380 | +5% | 1.3× |
| San Diego, CA | $64,100 | +5% | 1× |
Staying in CA keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Other jobs in San Luis Obispo
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.