Plumbers, Pipefitters & Steamfitters salary in Brownsville, TX
Median pay for plumbers, pipefitters & steamfitters in Brownsville, TX: $44,580/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $29,030 – $54,500 · about 330 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($59,690) by −$15,110 (-25%).
What it's really worth in Brownsville
With Brownsville's cost of living at 86 (US=100), that $44,580 has the buying power of about $52,019 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $47,435 · median home $207,150 · median rent $1,460/mo.
How Brownsville ranks for this job
On raw pay, Brownsville, TX is 184th of the 187 metros we hold plumbers, pipefitters & steamfitters wages for. Once Brownsville's cost of living is applied, it ranks 162nd.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Brownsville 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 Brownsville
A median home in Brownsville, TX costs $207,150 — about 4.6× 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 $1,460/mo works out at 39% 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 Brownsville.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Brownsville | Rent vs Brownsville |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL | $101,560 | +128% | 1.6× |
| Kennewick, WA | $97,150 | +118% | 1.2× |
| Minneapolis, MN | $96,200 | +116% | 1.2× |
| Duluth, MN | $88,000 | +97% | 0.9× |
Same job elsewhere in TX
| Metro | Median pay | vs Brownsville | Rent vs Brownsville |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaumont, TX | $62,160 | +39% | 0.9× |
| Austin, TX | $60,740 | +36% | 1.1× |
| Houston, TX | $60,490 | +36% | 1.1× |
| Corpus Christi, TX | $60,080 | +35% | 1× |
Staying in TX keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Other jobs in Brownsville
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.