Plumber / Pipefitter vs Electrician: Which Field Is Better?

Dimension	Plumber / Pipefitter	Electrician
Median pay	$62,970	$62,350
Projected growth (2024–34)	4.5%	9.5%
Annual openings	44,000	81,000
2024 employment	504,500	818,700
2034 projected employment	527,200	896,100
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

Plumber / Pipefitter

Electrician

Median pay

$62,970

$62,350

Projected growth (2024–34)

4.5%

9.5%

Annual openings

44,000

81,000

2024 employment

504,500

818,700

2034 projected employment

527,200

896,100

Self-employed share

7.8%

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

Related work experience

None

On-the-job training

Apprenticeship

Plumber / Pipefitter: main tradeoff

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

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.

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 Plumber / Pipefitter or Electrician.