Plumber assistant vs plumbing technician

The differences between plumber assistants and plumbing technicians 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 plumbing technician. Additionally, a plumbing technician has an average salary of $59,049, 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 plumbing technician are plumbing, hand tools, and HVAC.

Plumber assistant vs plumbing technician overview

	Plumber Assistant	Plumbing Technician
Yearly salary	$54,639	$59,049
Hourly rate	$26.27	$28.39
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	12,671	58,886
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 47%	High School Diploma, 46%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Plumber assistant vs plumbing technician salary

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

	Plumber Assistant	Plumbing Technician
Average salary	$54,639	$59,049
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $82,000	Between $39,000 And $88,000
Highest paying City	-	Springfield, MA
Highest paying state	-	Nevada
Best paying company	-	Navistar
Best paying industry	-	Automotive

Differences between plumber assistant and plumbing technician education

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

	Plumber Assistant	Plumbing Technician
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 47%	High School Diploma, 46%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Plumber assistant vs plumbing technician demographics

Here are the differences between plumber assistants' and plumbing technicians' demographics:

	Plumber Assistant	Plumbing Technician
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 94.7% Female, 5.3%	Male, 97.5% Female, 2.5%
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, 9.2% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.9% Asian, 1.9% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	2%	2%

Differences between plumber assistant and plumbing technician 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.

Plumbing technician example responsibilities.

Train and manage less experience plumbers and achieve significant improvements in their productivity.
Invoice customer for services render.
dig ups to expose pipes outside.
Perform brazing, soldering, pipefitting and welding.
Operate backhoes to dig up lines and replace.
Use jetting equipment and augers to unclog drains.

Plumber assistant vs plumbing technician skills

Common plumber assistant skills

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

Common plumbing technician skills

Plumbing, 32%
Hand Tools, 7%
HVAC, 7%
Work Ethic, 6%
Customer Satisfaction, 5%
Service Calls, 4%

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Plumber Assistant
Plumber Assistant vs Plumbing Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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