Residential plumber vs journeyman plumber

The differences between residential plumbers and journeyman 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 residential plumber and a journeyman plumber. Additionally, a journeyman plumber has an average salary of $54,678, which is higher than the $54,486 average annual salary of a residential plumber.

The top three skills for a residential plumber include plumbing, water heaters and hand tools. The most important skills for a journeyman plumber are plumbing, hand tools, and work ethic.

Residential plumber vs journeyman plumber overview

	Residential Plumber	Journeyman Plumber
Yearly salary	$54,486	$54,678
Hourly rate	$26.20	$26.29
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	18,520	10,869
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 54%	High School Diploma, 48%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

What does a residential plumber do?

A residential plumber installs, repairs, fits, and maintains pipes in a drainage system for residential buildings. They also do fixtures associated with water heating and cooling, water distribution, and sanitation services. Their duties and responsibilities include interpreting blueprints and building specifications to draw a map layout, documenting problems, and inspecting drainage systems.

What does a journeyman plumber do?

A journeyman plumber is responsible for conducting basic plumbing tasks, such as installing and repairing plumbing lines under the supervision of a head plumber. Journeyman plumbers connect pipes and ensure the stability of plumbing lines to avoid potential hazards and possible defects. They handle the maintenance and replacement of fixtures and identify the source of failure to adjust pressure and seal connections as needed. A journeyman plumber must be able to detect irregularities immediately and provide estimate costing to the customers for repairs.

Residential plumber vs journeyman plumber salary

Residential plumbers and journeyman plumbers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Residential Plumber	Journeyman Plumber
Average salary	$54,486	$54,678
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $82,000	Between $36,000 And $81,000
Highest paying City	Framingham, MA	Portland, OR
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Oregon
Best paying company	Horizon Services	Constellation Energy Partners
Best paying industry	Professional	Construction

Differences between residential plumber and journeyman plumber education

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

	Residential Plumber	Journeyman Plumber
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 54%	High School Diploma, 48%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Residential plumber vs journeyman plumber demographics

Here are the differences between residential plumbers' and journeyman plumbers' demographics:

	Residential Plumber	Journeyman Plumber
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 94.6% Female, 5.4%	Male, 97.1% Female, 2.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 1.9% White, 64.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 1.9% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	2%	2%

Differences between residential plumber and journeyman plumber duties and responsibilities

Residential plumber example responsibilities.

Train and manage less experience plumbers and achieve significant improvements in their productivity.
Install copper and PEX water supply.
Assist with HVAC, run water lines, install washer boxes etc
Learned skills such as welding, soldering, brazing, blueprint reading, schematic drawings, rigging, and crane signaling.
Assemble pipe sections, tubing, or fittings, using clamps, screws, or soldering, brazing or welding equipment.
Contract work-Sears-replacing dishwashers and water heaters.

Journeyman plumber example responsibilities.

Train and manage less experience plumbers and achieve significant improvements in their productivity.
Operate equipment such as cutting torches, threading machines, grinder, soldering and brazing.
Install and join copper, PVC, black iron and cast iron pipe and fittings below grind and above grind.
Work on sanitary sewer, rain leaders, and condensate lines using cast iron, PVC, and copper pipe.
Replace plumbing fixtures, water heaters, gas and electric, filtration systems, dishwashers, and service piping to structures.
Perform complete plumbing installations from rough-in to finishing according to Minnesota codes.

Residential plumber vs journeyman plumber skills

Common residential plumber skills

Plumbing, 32%
Water Heaters, 14%
Hand Tools, 7%
Troubleshoot, 5%
PVC, 4%
Caulking, 4%

Common journeyman plumber skills

Plumbing, 20%
Hand Tools, 19%
Work Ethic, 12%
Drainage Systems, 6%
Customer Service, 5%
Pipe Fittings, 4%

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Residential Plumber vs Journeyman Plumber

Updated January 8, 2025

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