Electrician vs Plumber / Pipefitter: Which Field Is Better?

Dimension	Electrician	Plumber / Pipefitter
Median pay	$62,350	$62,970
Projected growth (2024–34)	9.5%	4.5%
Annual openings	81,000	44,000
2024 employment	818,700	504,500
2034 projected employment	896,100	527,200
Self-employed share	7.8%	7.8%
Typical entry education	High school diploma or equivalent	High school diploma or equivalent
Related work experience	None	None
On-the-job training	Apprenticeship	Apprenticeship

Dimension

Electrician

Plumber / Pipefitter

Median pay

$62,350

$62,970

Projected growth (2024–34)

9.5%

4.5%

Annual openings

81,000

44,000

2024 employment

818,700

504,500

2034 projected employment

896,100

527,200

Self-employed share

7.8%

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

Related work experience

None

On-the-job training

Apprenticeship

Electrician: main tradeoff

A strong non-college path with unusually robust employer demand, but the tradeoff is physical, on-site work and a long apprenticeship.

Plumber / Pipefitter: main tradeoff

Strong replacement demand, apprenticeship economics, and self-employment potential, with physical work and licensing as the main costs.

Which should you choose?

Plumber / Pipefitter has the higher national median pay in the BLS data. Electrician has the higher projected 2024–2034 growth rate. The larger decision is whether you prefer the training path, work style, and occupation-specific tradeoffs of Electrician or Plumber / Pipefitter.