Last updated 2026 Davis-Bacon determinations
Median union journeyman scale across the 3 West Virginia UA locals with a published 2026 determination is $38.04/hr — 17% below the national median. Below: every local's own rate, apprentice pay where it's published, and which West Virginia locals are taking applications now.
Journeyman base and total package for every West Virginia local with a 2026 union wage determination. For a union classification the Davis-Bacon rate is the local's negotiated CBA rate, because DOL adopts collective bargaining rates wholesale — these are real scales, not estimates.
| Local | Journeyman | With benefits | Determination |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local 565 — Parkersburg | $41.00 | $78.63 | WV20260049 |
| Local 83 — Wheeling | $38.04 | $77.76 | WV20260049 |
| Local 152 — Morgantown | $34.05 | $75.10 | WV20260005 |
2 more West Virginia locals in the directory with no published union rate: Local 521 (Huntington), Local 625 (Charleston). Their counties are covered by DOL wage surveys rather than union agreements, and a survey rate is not union scale — so we show their application windows and leave the wage blank rather than print a number we can't defend.
Status as re-verified by our daily cron across all 5 West Virginia locals. A window can close on short notice — always confirm on the local's own site before making plans.
| Local | Trades | Status | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local 83 — Wheeling | Plumber, Steamfitter, HVAC/R | Open now | August 23, 2026 |
| Local 152 — Morgantown | Plumber, Pipefitter, HVAC/R | Closed | August 23, 2026 |
| Local 521 — Huntington | Plumber, Pipefitter | Watching | August 23, 2026 |
| Local 565 — Parkersburg | Plumber, Steamfitter | Closed | August 23, 2026 |
| Local 625 — Charleston | Plumber, Pipefitter, HVAC/R | Watching | August 23, 2026 |
Across the 3 UA locals in West Virginia with a published 2026 union wage determination, the median journeyman base is $38.04 an hour — roughly $79,100 a year at 2,080 hours. Rates run from $34.05 to $41.00 an hour depending on the local, which is 17% below the $46.10 national median across all 170 rated UA locals.
Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 565 in Parkersburg carries the highest published journeyman base in West Virginia at $41.00 an hour, $78.63 with fringe benefits. The lowest of the 3 rated locals is Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 152 in Morgantown at $34.05. Pay follows the local's collective bargaining agreement, so it tracks the cost of construction in that jurisdiction rather than the state as a whole.
5 UA locals in our directory cover West Virginia, of which 3 publish a union journeyman rate through a Davis-Bacon determination. The other 2 sit in counties whose determinations are wage surveys rather than union agreements, so we don't publish a rate we can't stand behind.
Yes — 1 of the 5 West Virginia locals is accepting applications as of our last check: Local 83 (Wheeling). Windows can close on short notice, so confirm on the local's own site.
Compare against national union plumber pay, the full 170-local pay table, or UA apprentice pay scales.
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