Plumber assistant vs plumber

The differences between plumber assistants and plumbers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a plumber assistant and a plumber. Additionally, a plumber has an average salary of $55,337, which is higher than the $54,639 average annual salary of a plumber assistant.

The top three skills for a plumber assistant include plumbing, hot water heaters and sewer lines. The most important skills for a plumber are plumbing, hand tools, and plumbers.

Plumber assistant vs plumber overview

	Plumber Assistant	Plumber
Yearly salary	$54,639	$55,337
Hourly rate	$26.27	$26.60
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	12,671	12,307
Job satisfaction	-	4.4
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 47%	High School Diploma, 53%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Plumber assistant vs plumber salary

Plumber assistants and plumbers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Plumber Assistant	Plumber
Average salary	$54,639	$55,337
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $82,000	Between $36,000 And $84,000
Highest paying City	-	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	-	Oregon
Best paying company	-	Kern Community College District
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between plumber assistant and plumber education

There are a few differences between a plumber assistant and a plumber in terms of educational background:

	Plumber Assistant	Plumber
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 47%	High School Diploma, 53%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Plumber assistant vs plumber demographics

Here are the differences between plumber assistants' and plumbers' demographics:

	Plumber Assistant	Plumber
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 94.7% Female, 5.3%	Male, 96.5% Female, 3.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.7% Asian, 1.8% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.2% Asian, 1.9% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	2%	2%

Differences between plumber assistant and plumber duties and responsibilities

Plumber assistant example responsibilities.

Manage troubleshooting, pump repair, converters, brazing, and soldering.
Check pipes and plumbing fixtures using pressure gauges for leaks utilize plastic solvents caulk solder brazing and welding
Repair and install plumbing fixtures like hot water tanks, water heaters, dishwashers, garbage disposals, sinks etc.
Assist with various plumbing issues which include slab leaks, replacing water heaters, dishwashers, stoppages, and many more.
Used new PEX piping whenever possible.
Convert water lines from copper to PEX pipe for main supply lines to toilets, bathtubs and sinks.

Plumber example responsibilities.

Train and manage less experience plumbers and achieve significant improvements in their productivity.
Replace old copper and cast iron plumbing, install PEX water lines, CPVC lines and PVC lines.
Learned how to read blueprints, use plumbing math and read sub/spec data.
Assemble pipe sections, tubing, or fittings, using various techniques, including caulking, soldering, and brazing.
Install, repair and maintain plumbing systems and components including toilets, urinals, faucets, hose bibs drains, etc.
Dig trenches for new pipeline.

Plumber assistant vs plumber skills

Common plumber assistant skills

Plumbing, 19%
Hot Water Heaters, 10%
Sewer Lines, 10%
PVC, 8%
Caulking, 4%
Brazing, 3%

Common plumber skills

Plumbing, 23%
Hand Tools, 7%
Plumbers, 6%
Customer Service, 6%
Cast Iron, 4%
Pipe Systems, 4%