Plumbing marketing statistics for 2026, each with its source
29 US plumbing marketing statistics for 2026: jobs, review habits, Google Ads costs, leaks and water damage claims, each linked to its source.
Three numbers frame plumbing marketing in the US in 2026. The trade employed 510,600 plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters in 2025 (BLS). A plumbing lead from search ads cost a median $129.02 (LocaliQ). And the average household’s leaks waste more than 9,300 gallons a year (EPA WaterSense).
Every figure on this page was opened at its publisher and checked before it was used. Each one carries its year, its geography and what it measures. Where a number covers home services or local businesses in general, the row says so.
The short version
- The US had 510,600 plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters in 2025, and BLS projects 7 percent growth from 2025 to 2035.
- In the BrightLocal 2026 survey of 1,002 US adults, 97 percent read reviews for local businesses and 68 percent require four or more stars.
- Plumbing advertisers paid a median $10.49 a click and $129.02 a lead in the LocaliQ 2025 home services benchmarks for the US.
- EPA WaterSense says the average household’s leaks can waste more than 9,300 gallons of water every year.
- Water damage and freezing made up 22.6 percent of US homeowners insurance losses in 2023, according to Triple-I figures drawn from ISO.
- The average water damage and freezing claim was $15,400 across 2019 to 2023 in the same Triple-I table.
How big is the US plumbing trade?
About 510,600 people worked as plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters in the US in 2025. That count comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which projects 7 percent growth by 2035 (BLS).
| Statistic | Figure | Source and year |
|---|---|---|
| Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters employed in the US | 510,600 | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025 |
| Median annual pay | $63,800 | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025 |
| Projected employment growth | 7% | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025 to 2035 |
| Projected job openings each year | About 42,000 | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025 to 2035 average |
| Share employed by plumbing, heating and air conditioning contractors | 65% | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025 |
| Share who are self-employed | 8% | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025 |
| Private establishments, all specialty trade contractors (not plumbing alone) | 597,918 | BLS Industries at a Glance, first quarter 2026 |
BLS counts workers here, and it does not count companies. The occupation also includes pipefitters and steamfitters, who work on commercial and industrial systems. The 65 percent row shows where the workers are: in contractor firms, which are the businesses that buy marketing.
The last row is the only count of businesses in this table, and it is wider than the trade. BLS counts 597,918 private establishments across all specialty trade contractors (BLS Industries at a Glance). For how firm and establishment counts differ, see our post on US small business counts by market.
Photo: cottonbro studio on Pexels.
How do customers find and choose a plumber?
They read reviews first. In the BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey 2026, 97 percent of US consumers said they read reviews for local businesses (BrightLocal). The survey used a panel of 1,002 US adults and was published in February 2026.
| Statistic | Figure | Source and year |
|---|---|---|
| Consumers who read reviews for local businesses | 97% | BrightLocal, 2026, US adults, all local businesses |
| Consumers who use Google for local business reviews and recommendations | 71% | BrightLocal, 2026, US adults, all local businesses |
| Consumers who use ChatGPT and other AI tools for the same job | 45% | BrightLocal, 2026, US adults, all local businesses |
| Consumers who will only use a business with four or more stars | 68% | BrightLocal, 2026, US adults, all local businesses |
| Consumers who will not use a business with fewer than 20 reviews | 47% | BrightLocal, 2026, US adults, all local businesses |
| Consumers who look for reviews written in the last three months | 74% | BrightLocal, 2026, US adults, all local businesses |
| Consumers who expect the owner to respond to reviews | 89% | BrightLocal, 2026, US adults, all local businesses |
These figures cover local businesses in general. They are not specific to plumbing, and BrightLocal does not break them out by trade. We include them because a plumber is chosen the same way: a search, a rating and a few recent reviews.
Read the 20 review row with the three month row. A company with 200 old reviews can still fail the recency test. The local SEO for plumbers page covers the profile and review work, and what local SEO costs in 2026 covers the price.
What do Google Ads cost for plumbers?
Plumbing advertisers paid a median $10.49 a click and $129.02 a lead (LocaliQ). That lead price is above the $90.92 median for home services as a whole.
| Statistic | Figure | Source and year |
|---|---|---|
| Click-through rate, plumbing (median) | 4.97% | LocaliQ, 2025 report, US |
| Cost per click, plumbing (median) | $10.49 | LocaliQ, 2025 report, US |
| Conversion rate, plumbing (median) | 7.63% | LocaliQ, 2025 report, US |
| Cost per lead, plumbing (median) | $129.02 | LocaliQ, 2025 report, US |
| Cost per lead, all home services (median) | $90.92 | LocaliQ, 2025 report, US |
| Home services businesses whose cost per lead rose year over year | 69% | LocaliQ, 2025 report, US |
The click-through rate is the share of people who saw the ad and clicked it. Plumbing’s 4.97 percent is below the 6.37 percent median for all home services in the same report. The conversion rate is the share of clicks that became a lead.
LocaliQ says the report covers 3,211 US search campaigns on Google Ads and Microsoft Ads. It also says its “averages” are medians, and that each category holds at least 103 campaigns. LocaliQ’s newer 2026 report for all industries puts the wider Home and Home Improvement category at $8.33 a click (LocaliQ).
For what a click costs across other industries, read how much Google Ads cost in 2026. The cost per lead benchmarks post explains why a cheap click can still mean an expensive lead. If paid search is your next step, the Google Ads for plumbers page shows how we would set it up.
Photo: Kindel Media on Pexels.
What do customers pay, and when do they buy?
Plumbing work is bought when something leaks, fails or floods, and the public figures are about those events. EPA WaterSense says the average household’s leaks waste more than 9,300 gallons a year (EPA).
| Statistic | Figure | Source and year |
|---|---|---|
| Water wasted by the average household’s leaks each year | More than 9,300 gallons | EPA WaterSense, Fix a Leak Week, US, checked October 2026 |
| Homes with leaks that waste 50 gallons or more a day | 9% | EPA WaterSense, Fix a Leak Week, US, checked October 2026 |
| Water wasted by household leaks nationwide each year | Nearly 1 trillion gallons | EPA WaterSense, Fix a Leak Week, US, checked October 2026 |
| Saving on a water bill from fixing easily corrected leaks | About 10% | EPA WaterSense, Fix a Leak Week, US, checked October 2026 |
| Water each American uses at home per day | 82 gallons on average | EPA WaterSense statistics, US, checked October 2026 |
| What the average family spends on water each year | More than $1,000 | EPA WaterSense statistics, US, checked October 2026 |
| Age at which to consider replacing a water heater | More than 10 years | ENERGY STAR guidance, US, checked October 2026 |
| Water damage and freezing as a share of homeowners insurance losses | 22.6% | Triple-I, from ISO data, US, 2023 |
| Average water damage and freezing claim | $15,400 | Triple-I, from ISO data, US, 2019 to 2023 |
The insurance rows come from the Insurance Information Institute, which publishes ISO data (Triple-I). They cover insured homeowners losses. They are not the price of a plumbing job. The same table shows 1.50 water damage and freezing claims per 100 insured house years.
The water heater row is ENERGY STAR guidance, and it is not a measured average. None of these sources publishes a typical price for a plumbing repair. We found price figures only on contractor and lead seller sites with no stated sample, so we left them out.
What does this mean for your marketing?
This section is our reading of the figures above. It is Mavix’s view, and none of the sources says it.
The review figures point at the cheapest work first. If 47 percent of consumers skip a business with fewer than 20 reviews, a thin profile loses calls before any ad runs. Ask for a review after every completed job, and answer each one.
Paid search in this trade is priced for urgent, higher value jobs. At about $129 a lead, a campaign needs water heater, leak and drain searches where the job is worth the click. The plumbing SEO work covers the questions people ask before an emergency, where a click costs nothing.
The leak figures give you something useful to publish. A homeowner who learns that a leak can waste 9,300 gallons a year has a reason to call before the ceiling stains.
Put your own numbers into the lead generation calculator before setting a budget. The benchmark tells you what a lead costs across the trade. Your close rate and job value tell you what you can pay for one. Our marketing for plumbing companies page sets out where we would start.
What these figures do not tell you
- The review figures are from a survey of 1,002 US adults about local businesses of every kind. BrightLocal does not publish a plumbing breakdown.
- The Google Ads figures are medians from one company’s client campaigns. Your metro, your service mix and your landing page can put you well above or below them.
- The benchmark report is the 2025 edition. It covers campaigns that ran between April 2024 and March 2025, so prices may have moved since.
- The BLS establishment count covers every specialty trade contractor, from painters to concrete crews. It is a ceiling for the trade, and we do not quote a share.
- None of these sources measures how many jobs a marketing channel produces for a single company. Only your own call and form records can show that.
Last checked against the sources on 2026-10-02.
The bottom line
The plumbing numbers describe a large trade where customers check reviews before they call and where a paid lead costs well over $100. Published medians tell you the going rate. Your own records of calls, booked jobs and job value tell you whether that rate works for your company.
Questions people ask about this
How many plumbers are there in the US?
BLS counted 510,600 plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters in 2025. It projects 7 percent growth from 2025 to 2035, with about 42,000 openings a year. The figure counts workers in all three occupations, and it does not count companies.
How much does a plumbing lead cost on Google Ads?
The LocaliQ 2025 home services benchmarks put the median at $129.02. That is a US median from campaigns that ran between April 2024 and March 2025. Your own figure depends on your metro, the services you advertise and what you count as a lead.
What is the average cost per click for plumbing ads?
The median was $10.49 in the LocaliQ 2025 report on 3,211 US home services search campaigns. The median across all home services in that report was $7.85. LocaliQ notes that its averages are medians, which limits the effect of outliers.
How many reviews does a plumbing company need?
No source gives a plumbing figure. Across local businesses in general, 47 percent of US consumers told BrightLocal they will not use a business with fewer than 20 reviews. In the same 2026 survey, 74 percent look for reviews from the last three months, so recent reviews count as much as the total.
How much water does a household leak waste?
EPA WaterSense says the average household’s leaks can waste more than 9,300 gallons a year. It also says nine percent of homes have leaks that waste 50 gallons or more a day. Fixing easily corrected leaks can save about 10 percent on a water bill.
How common are water damage insurance claims?
Water damage and freezing made up 22.6 percent of US homeowners insurance losses in 2023. The average claim was $15,400 across 2019 to 2023. Both figures are from the Insurance Information Institute, which publishes ISO data.
Are these statistics specific to plumbing?
The employment, leak and Google Ads figures are. The review figures are for local businesses of every kind, and the establishment count covers all specialty trade contractors. Each table row says which is which, so you can quote the right scope.
Sources for every number on this page
- Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025 data.
- Fix a Leak Week, US Environmental Protection Agency, WaterSense.
- Statistics and Facts, US Environmental Protection Agency, WaterSense.
- When Should You Replace Your Water Heater?, ENERGY STAR.
- Facts and Statistics: Homeowners and renters insurance, Insurance Information Institute, ISO data for 2019 to 2023.
- Local Consumer Review Survey 2026, BrightLocal, published February 2026, 1,002 US adults.
- 2025 Search Ad Benchmarks for Home Services, LocaliQ, 3,211 US campaigns from April 2024 to March 2025.
- Search advertising benchmarks, 2026 edition, LocaliQ, Home and Home Improvement row.
- Specialty Trade Contractors: NAICS 238, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Industries at a Glance, first quarter 2026 establishments.
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