Plumbers, Pipefitters & Steamfitters salary in Fort Smith, AR
Median pay for plumbers, pipefitters & steamfitters in Fort Smith, AR: $45,860/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $30,590 – $68,010 · about 280 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($59,690) by −$13,830 (-23%).
What it's really worth in Fort Smith
With Fort Smith's cost of living at 85 (US=100), that $45,860 has the buying power of about $53,756 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $53,224 · median home $205,554 · median rent $1,021/mo.
How Fort Smith ranks for this job
On raw pay, Fort Smith, AR is 180th of the 187 metros we hold plumbers, pipefitters & steamfitters wages for. Once Fort Smith's cost of living is applied, it ranks 147th.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Fort Smith 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 Fort Smith
A median home in Fort Smith, AR costs $205,554 — about 4.5× 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 $1,021/mo works out at 27% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.
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 Fort Smith.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Fort Smith | Rent vs Fort Smith |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL | $101,560 | +121% | 2.2× |
| Kennewick, WA | $97,150 | +112% | 1.7× |
| Minneapolis, MN | $96,200 | +110% | 1.7× |
| Duluth, MN | $88,000 | +92% | 1.4× |
Same job elsewhere in AR
| Metro | Median pay | vs Fort Smith | Rent vs Fort Smith |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fayetteville, AR | $49,960 | +9% | 1.6× |
| Little Rock, AR | $47,350 | +3% | 1.2× |
Staying in AR keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires plumbers, pipefitters & steamfitters around Fort Smith
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- OK Foods · Manufacturing
- Weyerhauser · Manufacturing
Other jobs in Fort Smith
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.