IL — ROCKFORD, IL

Plumber apprenticeships in Rockford, IL

Rockford, IL is a smaller U.S. metro. Here is what working as a plumber looks like locally.

KEY FACTS — ROCKFORD, IL

Rockford: ~128 of 440 (~29%) (small denominator) · market pressure 37/100 — Low pressure.

Plumber earning $100K+ annually in Rockford
~128 of 440 (~29%) ±12

Confidence: medium. Annual labor earnings (W-2 wages + self-employment), not OEWS hourly-wage extrapolations.

Source: Census ACS 2024 5-year PUMS (state-rate projection onto metro OEWS employment; small denominator — treat as directional).

OEWS six-figure baseline (plumber)
~113 of 440 (~26%)

Confidence: medium. Our six-figure estimator uses a $115k review threshold; cells where the published p90 reaches that threshold are flagged for conservative upper-tail extrapolation.

Source: BLS OEWS.

Market pressure score (plumber, Rockford)
37/100 — Low pressure

Confidence: low. Composite of projected annual openings, projected growth, and current $100K+ earnings rate. Not a direct vacancy count.

Source: Projections Central data; score computed by Prentice.

Bachelor’s+ in the Rockford labor force
55K

Source: Census ACS 2022 5-year.

Competitive ratio ($100K+ earners / bachelor’s+)
23.2 per 10k

A framing, not a forecast. See methodology.

Numerator: ACS PUMS $100K+ annual earners.

Auto-compiled from Illinois editorial + Rockford, IL labor data. Spot an error?

Rockford, IL is one of Illinois's labor markets for plumbers. This page collects what adults switching into a career as a plumber inside the Rockford metro need first: how local pay compares to the state, what the available labor-market data says about six-figure work, and which statewide programs and licensing rules apply locally.

Rockford, IL plumbers earn a median of $79,990 (BLS OEWS Rockford MSA, May 2024). For Illinois context, statewide pay runs from $17/hr at entry to $29/hr at the state median and $45/hr at the experienced end. Statewide headline: $60K avg salary. The Rockford metro is a smaller U.S. MSA; local wages may run above or below the state median depending on sector mix.

In the Rockford metro, estimated six-figure plumber jobs: ~113 of 440 (~26%). Confidence: medium. Our six-figure estimator uses a $115k review threshold; cells where the published p90 reaches that threshold are flagged for conservative upper-tail extrapolation. ACS 2024 5-year PUMS estimates ~128 $100K+ annual earners (~29% of employed plumbers, ACS PUMS WAGP+SEMP). Projections Central long-term pressure score: 37/100 (Low, low confidence). Bachelor's-plus in the metro labor force: 55K (ACS 2022 5-year). For statewide context: Illinois shows ~6.1K of 19K (~33%). Sources: BLS OEWS, Census ACS PUMS, Projections Central, Census ACS.

Statewide plumber programs and employer-sponsored paths are listed on the Illinois programs page; none are flagged as metro-exclusive. Metro program and association references are inherited from sourced state pages unless a metro-exclusive entity is explicitly sourced. Treat them as orientation, not a complete local inventory, and verify current intake details with the statewide source or sponsor before relying. Licensing is set at the state level: Illinois rules apply in the Rockford metro unless a local authority says otherwise. Metro pages use state-level licensing and program context unless a city, county, or sponsor rule is explicitly sourced. Verify current licensing, local add-ons, and sponsor requirements with the official state or local authority before relying. Smaller MSAs like the Rockford metro often source plumber apprentices from a 60-mile radius into the nearest larger urban center; check with the state programs page for the closest active intake.

PLUMBER PAY SNAPSHOT — ROCKFORD, IL

$79,990 (OEWS MSA-level median)

Source: BLS OEWS MSA cross-industry estimates. Where MSA-level data is suppressed or unpublished we fall back to the state median and label it explicitly.

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