Plumber vs plumbing technician

The differences between plumbers 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 and a plumbing technician. Additionally, a plumbing technician has an average salary of $59,049, which is higher than the $55,337 average annual salary of a plumber.

The top three skills for a plumber include plumbing, hand tools and plumbers. The most important skills for a plumbing technician are plumbing, hand tools, and HVAC.

Plumber vs plumbing technician overview

	Plumber	Plumbing Technician
Yearly salary	$55,337	$59,049
Hourly rate	$26.60	$28.39
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	12,307	58,886
Job satisfaction	4.4	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 53%	High School Diploma, 46%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Plumber vs plumbing technician salary

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

	Plumber	Plumbing Technician
Average salary	$55,337	$59,049
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $84,000	Between $39,000 And $88,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Springfield, MA
Highest paying state	Oregon	Nevada
Best paying company	Kern Community College District	Navistar
Best paying industry	Finance	Automotive

Differences between plumber and plumbing technician education

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

	Plumber	Plumbing Technician
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 53%	High School Diploma, 46%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Plumber vs plumbing technician demographics

Here are the differences between plumbers' and plumbing technicians' demographics:

	Plumber	Plumbing Technician
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 96.5% Female, 3.5%	Male, 97.5% Female, 2.5%
Race ratio	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%	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 and plumbing technician duties and responsibilities

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.

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 vs plumbing technician skills

Common plumber skills

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

Common plumbing technician skills

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