Running a plumbing business in Virginia Beach, VA
The Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area has about 5,100 plumbers. The median wage is $29.75 an hour, so half earn more and half earn less. That's 2% above the Virginia median of $29.07. Nationally, the median is $30.67, so Virginia Beach pays 3% less.
Market snapshot
- Plumbers employed in the metro area
- 5,100
- Median hourly wage
- $29.75
- Middle 50% earn
- $23.80 to $31.49 an hour
- Median annual wage
- $61,870
- Virginia median hourly wage
- $29.07
- U.S. median hourly wage
- $30.67
- Job concentration
- 2.23× the national share
- Plumbing, heating and AC contractors in the metro area
- 619
- Virginia Beach population
- 456,349
- Median year homes were built in Virginia Beach
- 1984
Job concentration compares the share of local jobs held by plumbers with the share nationwide. Above 1 means the trade is more concentrated here than average.
How Virginia Beach ranks in Virginia
- #1 of 8 Virginia metros for the number of plumbers
- #1 of 8 for median hourly wage
Plumbing in nearby cities
| City | Workers in the metro | Median hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| Richmond, VA | 2,340 | $29.56 |
| Lexington Park, MD | 260 | $27.74 |
| Greenville, NC | 250 | $27.44 |
| Salisbury, MD | 330 | $29.78 |
| Rocky Mount, NC | 140 | $27.03 |
| Goldsboro, NC | 160 | $24.64 |
How Tradesman helps plumbing businesses in Virginia Beach
See the problem before you roll
Customers attach photos when they request service, so you know whether it's a cartridge swap or a slab leak before anyone loads the truck.
Give tank and tankless options
Put a standard tank, a high-efficiency tank and a tankless install on one estimate as options. The customer picks one and approves it online.
Price the 2 a.m. call correctly
After-hours and holiday multipliers apply to labor lines automatically, so emergency calls are billed the way you priced them.
Questions about plumbing in Virginia Beach
How much do plumbers make in Virginia Beach?
In May 2025, the median wage for plumbers in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area was $29.75 an hour. The middle half earned between $23.80 and $31.49 an hour.
How many plumbers work in Virginia Beach?
About 5,100 plumbers worked in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
How many plumbing, heating and AC contractors are in Virginia Beach?
The Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area had 619 establishments classified as plumbing, heating and AC contractors in 2023, according to the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns.
Sources
Figures cover the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area unless they name Virginia Beach. Wages are for employees, not business owners.
Run your plumbing business in Virginia Beach from one place.
Estimates, scheduling, dispatch and payments in one app. Setup takes about five minutes.