Pharmacy Technicians vs Plumbers
Plumbers earns $19,510 more at the middle. Every figure is US government data you can check.
| Pharmacy Technicians | Plumbers | |
|---|---|---|
| Pay in the middle median annual wage, May 2024 | $43,460 | $62,970 |
| Pay range 10th to 90th percentile | $35,100 to $59,450 | $40,670 to $105,150 |
| Years of school you pay for our own estimate from published entry requirements, not a BLS figure | 0.5 | 0 |
| Typical entry education | High school diploma or equivalent | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Jobs opening up each year | 49,000 | 44,000 |
| Growth by 2034 | 6% | 4% |
| People doing it now | 490,400 | 504,500 |
| Where the pay is highest and lowest state medians, not adjusted for cost of living or taxes | $56,140 in Washington down to $37,370 in West Virginia | $96,200 in Illinois down to $49,630 in West Virginia |
Also compared: Heating vs Pharmacy Technicians Heating vs Plumbers Pharmacy Technicians vs Welders Plumbers vs Welders
Jobs that use what you already know
Same skills, same knowledge, same daily tasks. Most of these are not on this site.
Pharmacy Technicians
- Pharmacists
- Pharmacy Aides
- Medical Assistants
- Veterinary Technologists and Technicians
- Phlebotomists
- Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
What these usually take: A trade school course, an associate's degree, or one to two years on the job.
Plumbers
- Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
- Boilermakers
- Pipelayers
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, General
- Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners
- Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door
What these usually take: A trade school course, an associate's degree, or one to two years on the job.
O*NET 30.3 Database, U.S. Department of Labor. These are jobs that use similar skills, knowledge and daily tasks. It is a measure of how alike two jobs are — not a record of people moving between them.
Jobs that take more training than this one
A job zone is the U.S. Department of Labor’s published measure of how much preparation a job takes. It says nothing about pay.
- PharmacistsGraduate school — a master's, or a doctorate.
O*NET 30.3 Database and O*NET Job Zones, U.S. Department of Labor. A job zone is a published measure of how much preparation an occupation takes, not a measure of pay or of whether a job is better. Pay differences are BLS median annual wages, May 2024, and are shown only where both jobs are on this site.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational employment and wage data, May 2024, and employment projections 2024-34. Years of school is our own estimate from published entry requirements, not a BLS figure. State medians are not adjusted for cost of living or taxes, and that difference could be large either way. No advice, just data.