Michigan Has Only 16,751 Active Licensed Plumbers for 10 Million People
We pulled and analyzed all 52,419 plumbing license records in Michigan's state database. Only 16,751 are currently active — one for every ~602 residents. And the city of Detroit has just 40 active master plumbers.
The Statewide Shortage
Michigan requires a state license to work as a plumber. Across every credential level — apprentice, journeyperson, master, and contractor — the state's database holds 52,419 plumbing license records. But a license on file isn't the same as a license that's current. Only 16,751 (32%) were active in our July 2026 pull. The other 68% have expired, lapsed, or been retired.
Against Michigan's 10,077,331 residents, that's one active plumber for every ~602 people — longer waits, higher emergency prices, and more reason to confirm the plumber you call is actually one of the active 16,751.
Active Licenses by Credential
Michigan LARA, July 2026 · active vs. total on record
Master and Contractor — the credentials authorized to perform and supervise residential work and pull permits — total just 6,820 active statewide.
The Master-Plumber Squeeze
A master plumber has passed Michigan's highest licensing exam — the credential authorized to pull permits and supervise a job. Statewide, only 3,929 hold an active master license, one for every ~2,565 residents.
active master plumbers in the city of Detroit
Population 639,111 — that's one active master plumber for every ~15,978 residents.
Where the Active Plumbers Cluster
Active master + contractor plumbers, by county (conservative, city-mapped)
Read this as a floor, not a ranking. These counts include only plumbers whose licensed city maps to one of these counties — 3,332 of 6,820 active master + contractor records. The other 3,488 (smaller towns and unmappable city values) are counted statewide but not by county, so true totals are somewhat higher. We don't publish per-capita county rates from this mapping because the undercount would distort them.
What This Means If You Need a Plumber
With active plumbers this thin on the ground, you'll wait longer — especially in a winter freeze — and you're more likely to run into someone on an expired license or no license at all. Confirm the license before anyone starts.
- →See how we verify Michigan licenses against the state LARA database.
- →Browse licensed plumbers in Macomb County — 1,398 active licenses across 21 Macomb cities per LARA, license numbers shown.
- →Find a licensed plumber in Metro Detroit on the map.
- →Find licensed plumbers across Michigan.
- →Emergencies: 24/7 emergency plumber, water heater repair, or drain cleaning in Macomb County.
- →Planning a job? See the Michigan plumber cost guide.
Methodology
Source. All figures are derived from Michigan's official plumbing license records, published by the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), exported in full on July 17, 2026 across all five plumbing credential types.
“Active” definition. A license is counted active if its expiration date is on or after the pull date (through 2027 or later). Michigan's plumbing renewal date is April 30, so some 2026-expiring licenses may have since renewed — active counts are conservative.
Population. Michigan (10,077,331) and Detroit (639,111) figures are from the 2020 U.S. Census.
County counts. County figures map each record's licensed city to its county for Michigan's largest population centers. 3,332 of 6,820 active master + contractor records mapped; 3,488 in smaller communities or with unusable city values are counted statewide but not by county. Conservative floors, not used for per-capita comparison.
Contact. Journalists and researchers: reach us via our contact page for underlying counts or methodology questions.