Plumbers vs Welders
Plumbers earns $11,970 more at the middle. Every figure is US government data you can check.
| Plumbers | Welders | |
|---|---|---|
| Pay in the middle median annual wage, May 2024 | $62,970 | $51,000 |
| Pay range 10th to 90th percentile | $40,670 to $105,150 | $38,130 to $75,850 |
| Years of school you pay for our own estimate from published entry requirements, not a BLS figure | 0 | 0.5 |
| Typical entry education | High school diploma or equivalent | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Jobs opening up each year | 44,000 | 45,600 |
| Growth by 2034 | 4% | 2% |
| People doing it now | 504,500 | 457,300 |
| Where the pay is highest and lowest state medians, not adjusted for cost of living or taxes | $96,200 in Illinois down to $49,630 in West Virginia | $76,970 in Hawaii down to $47,000 in West Virginia |
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Jobs that use what you already know
Same skills, same knowledge, same daily tasks. Most of these are not on this site.
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.
Welders
- Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
- Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters
- Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers
- Engine and Other Machine Assemblers
- Boilermakers
- Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers
What these usually take: High school, then a few months to a year of on-the-job training.
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.
- Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related RepairersA trade school course, an associate's degree, or one to two years on the job.
- Tool and Die MakersA trade school course, an associate's degree, or one to two years on the job.
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.