Pay
How much should I pay my first helper or apprentice?
Short answer: national BLS data puts the average construction-trades helper at about $21 an hour (May 2025), with electricians’ and plumbers’ helpers averaging around $44,000 a year. Your local market, your state minimum wage, and the helper’s experience should set the actual number, and every dollar of wage costs you more once employer taxes and insurance are added.
Key takeaways
- Start from local data, not a national average: BLS publishes state and metro wages.
- You must meet the higher of the federal $7.25 or your state or local minimum wage, and pay overtime over 40 hours for non-exempt employees.
- Registered apprenticeships set wages on a progressive schedule; informal “apprentices” are just employees.
On this page
What the official data says
The Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey is the most reliable public source. From the BLS OEWS May 2025 national table and the BLS construction occupations summary:
| Occupation (national, May 2025) | Figure |
|---|---|
| Helpers, construction trades (group), mean hourly | $21.46 |
| Helpers—electricians, annual mean | $44,080 |
| Helpers—pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, steamfitters, annual mean | $43,730 |
| Construction laborers, median hourly | $22.66 |
| Electricians, median hourly | $30.38 |
| Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters, median hourly | $30.67 |
| HVAC mechanics and installers, median hourly | $29.33 |
These numbers exclude self-employed workers and blend every region. A helper in a high-cost metro may expect much more; a rural market may pay less. BLS also publishes state and metro figures on its OEWS tables page, which is a better starting point for your offer.
The legal floor
The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour (DOL minimum wage page), but many states and cities set higher minimums, and the employee gets the highest one that applies (DOL state minimum wage table). Most helpers are non-exempt, so hours over 40 in a workweek generally must be paid at one and a half times the regular rate (DOL overtime page). Some states also have daily overtime or paid sick leave rules. On public projects, prevailing-wage rules can set much higher minimums for each classification.
Helper versus apprentice
In everyday speech, “apprentice” often just means a beginner. Legally, a registered apprenticeship is a program approved by the DOL or a state apprenticeship agency that combines on-the-job training with related instruction and pays a wage that rises as skills increase (Apprenticeship.gov (DOL)). In many states, electricians and plumbers also need an apprentice license or registration before doing licensed work. If you’re not in a registered program, your apprentice is a regular employee for wage, tax, and workers’ comp purposes. Check your state licensing board before letting a new hire do licensed work.
A worked example: picking an offer
Suppose local listings and BLS metro data suggest helpers in your area earn about $19 to $23 an hour. You choose $20 for a beginner with a plan to raise it to $22 after 90 days if they meet set skills, like rough-in on their own. At $20 and 40 hours, wages are $41,600 a year; at $22 they’re $45,760. Employer FICA alone is 7.65%, so the raise costs you about $4,160 in wages plus about $318 in FICA, before any change in workers’ comp, which is also based on payroll. A clear raise schedule tied to skills tends to cost less than replacing a helper who leaves.
Don’t forget the true cost
Whatever wage you pick, plan for employer taxes, state unemployment tax, workers’ comp, and payroll costs. See payroll taxes on a $20-an-hour employee, and plug your wage into the true-cost calculator. Paying a helper as a 1099 contractor to avoid those costs is risky if they work under your direction; see 1099 vs W-2 and the IRS: independent contractor or employee?.
Test a wage See what $18, $20, or $24 an hour really costs.
Open the calculatorFrequently asked questions
How much do plumber's and electrician's helpers make?
BLS May 2025 national data shows an annual mean wage of $44,080 for electricians' helpers and $43,730 for plumbers' helpers. The construction-trades helper group averages $21.46 an hour. Local pay varies, so check BLS state and metro data.
Can I pay an apprentice less than minimum wage?
No. Helpers and apprentices must be paid at least the highest applicable federal, state, or local minimum wage, plus overtime when required. Registered apprenticeship programs set progressive wages above those floors.
Do I have to pay overtime to a helper?
Most helpers are non-exempt under the FLSA, so hours over 40 in a workweek generally must be paid at 1.5 times the regular rate. Some states add daily overtime rules.
Federal figures were checked against 2026 IRS Publication 15 and the linked official pages in November 2026. Rows marked hypothetical are examples only. State rules and rates vary; confirm with your state agencies, an insurance agent, and your accountant before you hire.