Career Training Path › Plumbing schools › California
Plumbing schools in California
California has 5 accredited campuses awarding plumbing credentials. If you finish and work as a plumber or pipefitter in California, expect to start around $47,350–$58,980 and reach a median of $72,830 with experience; the top quarter earn $100,200 or more (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025, California). Graduates of these California programs — every graduate, whatever job they took — earned a median of not reported in their first year, against $30,730 nationally; that is the figure used to rank campuses below.
What plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters earn in California
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; 47,660 employed in California. National median: $63,800.
Campuses in California, ranked by what their graduates earned
Cities: Costa MesaLos Altos HillsLos AngelesSacramentoSan Diego
| Campus | City | Type | Grads / yr | Earnings, yr 1 | Program debt | Completion | Cost / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foothill College | Los Altos Hills | Public college | 39 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Los Angeles Trade Technical College | Los Angeles | Public technical college | 37 | not reported | not reported | 35% | not reported |
| American River College | Sacramento | Public community college | 22 | not reported | not reported | 37% | not reported |
| Orange Coast College | Costa Mesa | Public community college | 3 | not reported | not reported | 48% | not reported |
| San Diego City College | San Diego | Public community college | 1 | not reported | not reported | 30% | not reported |
Earnings are median wages and self-employment income reported to the IRS (W-2 and Schedule SE) for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled, measured in the calendar year after finishing. They are pay only: health insurance, retirement contributions and other benefits are not included.
Ranked by median earnings of this program's graduates one year after completion (College Scorecard field-of-study, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2022-23 Completions survey; College Scorecard June 2026; Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs (DAPIP), September 2026); campuses without a reported figure follow, by credentials awarded. "Program debt" is the median federal loan debt for graduates of this program at this campus. Completion is the campus-wide 150%-of-time rate. "Not reported" means the federal file suppresses the value for privacy.