Plumber / Pipefitter vs Firefighter: Which Field Is Better?

Dimension	Plumber / Pipefitter	Firefighter
Median pay	$62,970	$59,530
Projected growth (2024–34)	4.5%	3.4%
Annual openings	44,000	27,100
2024 employment	504,500	344,900
2034 projected employment	527,200	356,700
Self-employed share	7.8%	0%
Typical entry education	High school diploma or equivalent	Postsecondary nondegree award
Related work experience	None	None
On-the-job training	Apprenticeship	Long-term on-the-job training

Dimension

Plumber / Pipefitter

Firefighter

Median pay

$62,970

$59,530

Projected growth (2024–34)

4.5%

3.4%

Annual openings

44,000

27,100

2024 employment

504,500

344,900

2034 projected employment

527,200

356,700

Self-employed share

7.8%

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

Postsecondary nondegree award

Related work experience

None

On-the-job training

Apprenticeship

Long-term on-the-job training

Plumber / Pipefitter: main tradeoff

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

Firefighter: main tradeoff

A public-service career where occupational risk and schedule matter as much as pay; injury data provide unusually concrete evidence for the tradeoff.

Which should you choose?

Plumber / Pipefitter has the higher national median pay in the BLS data. Plumber / Pipefitter 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 Firefighter.