Plumber assistant vs plumber helper

The differences between plumber assistants and plumber helpers 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 helper. Additionally, a plumber assistant has an average salary of $54,639, which is higher than the $43,893 average annual salary of a plumber helper.

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

Plumber assistant vs plumber helper overview

	Plumber Assistant	Plumber Helper
Yearly salary	$54,639	$43,893
Hourly rate	$26.27	$21.10
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	12,671	21,963
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 47%	High School Diploma, 58%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Plumber assistant vs plumber helper salary

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

	Plumber Assistant	Plumber Helper
Average salary	$54,639	$43,893
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $82,000	Between $28,000 And $66,000
Highest paying City	-	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	ENCON Heating
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between plumber assistant and plumber helper education

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

	Plumber Assistant	Plumber Helper
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 47%	High School Diploma, 58%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Plumber assistant vs plumber helper demographics

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

	Plumber Assistant	Plumber Helper
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 94.7% Female, 5.3%	Male, 96.2% Female, 3.8%
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, 20.0% Asian, 1.9% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	2%	2%

Differences between plumber assistant and plumber helper 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 helper example responsibilities.

Train and manage less experience plumbers and achieve significant improvements in their productivity.
Install lavatories, help install urinals and commodes, roof drains and hose-bibs.
Assist journeyman plumber with measuring, cutting, brazing and sweating copper and copper fittings.
Perform solder brazing, some rough work with acetylene torch and grinders and various cutting implements.
Used tools of the trade; pipe cutters, cutting torches, pipe threading and pipe bending machines
Operate equipment such as cutting torches, threading machines, grinders, beveling machines and round up clamps.

Plumber assistant vs plumber helper skills

Common plumber assistant skills

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

Common plumber helper skills

Hand Tools, 36%
Plumbing, 18%
Cast Iron, 18%
Ladders, 9%
PEX, 5%
Sewer Lines, 2%