Electrician vs Plumber Salary (2025)
Plumber earns $474 more than Electrician nationally. The median Plumber salary is $69,663 compared to $69,189 for Electrician, based on BLS data across 70 metro areas.
Comparing Electrician, Plumber: side-by-side wage and employment data across the same metropolitan areas, from BLS OEWS. The comparison view normalizes percentile distributions so the wage differences are apples-to-apples within each metro. Role comparisons are most useful when the worker has flexibility between the occupations — usually adjacent specialties within the same field (e.g., software-engineering versus data-engineering) or related disciplines with overlapping skill sets.
Median wage differences across roles understate the spread for senior workers and overstate it for entry-level. The per-percentile comparison gives a fuller picture — particularly the p75 and p90 columns, which capture experienced-worker pay.
Electrician
Plumber
Salary Comparison by City
| City | Electrician | Plumber | Difference | Higher Earner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $92,830 | $77,880 | +$14,950 | Electrician |
| Las Vegas, NV | $70,890 | $59,700 | +$11,190 | Electrician |
| Sacramento, CA | $74,830 | $65,210 | +$9,620 | Electrician |
| Bakersfield, CA | $75,860 | $66,450 | +$9,410 | Electrician |
| Greenville, SC | $60,210 | $50,890 | +$9,320 | Electrician |
| Riverside-San Bernardino, CA | $72,790 | $63,920 | +$8,870 | Electrician |
| Fresno, CA | $71,710 | $64,400 | +$7,310 | Electrician |
| Spokane, WA | $79,830 | $72,800 | +$7,030 | Electrician |
| Seattle, WA | $101,780 | $95,230 | +$6,550 | Electrician |
| Buffalo, NY | $77,930 | $72,230 | +$5,700 | Electrician |
| Tampa, FL | $57,450 | $52,000 | +$5,450 | Electrician |
| Wichita, KS | $65,670 | $60,940 | +$4,730 | Electrician |
| Boise, ID | $61,610 | $56,940 | +$4,670 | Electrician |
| Portland, OR | $105,090 | $101,010 | +$4,080 | Electrician |
| Washington, DC | $75,930 | $71,860 | +$4,070 | Electrician |
| Rochester, NY | $77,310 | $73,580 | +$3,730 | Electrician |
| San Diego, CA | $76,160 | $72,510 | +$3,650 | Electrician |
| Nashville, TN | $63,340 | $60,100 | +$3,240 | Electrician |
| Tulsa, OK | $62,280 | $59,440 | +$2,840 | Electrician |
| Los Angeles, CA | $73,810 | $71,110 | +$2,700 | Electrician |
| Baltimore, MD | $65,590 | $63,200 | +$2,390 | Electrician |
| Memphis, TN | $60,890 | $58,690 | +$2,200 | Electrician |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $61,010 | $59,150 | +$1,860 | Electrician |
| Columbus, OH | $64,700 | $63,260 | +$1,440 | Electrician |
| Miami, FL | $58,630 | $57,760 | +$870 | Electrician |
| Greensboro, NC | $58,380 | $57,510 | +$870 | Electrician |
| Kansas City, MO | $76,860 | $76,150 | +$710 | Electrician |
| Hartford, CT | $77,680 | $77,190 | +$490 | Electrician |
| New York, NY | $79,020 | $78,610 | +$410 | Electrician |
| Tucson, AZ | $59,480 | $59,070 | +$410 | Electrician |
| Charlotte, NC | $59,080 | $58,690 | +$390 | Electrician |
| Atlanta, GA | $58,650 | $58,380 | +$270 | Electrician |
| St. Louis, MO | $77,170 | $77,000 | +$170 | Electrician |
| New Orleans, LA | $62,490 | $62,450 | +$40 | Electrician |
| Richmond, VA | $61,350 | $61,480 | -$130 | Plumber |
| Bridgeport, CT | $79,560 | $79,700 | -$140 | Plumber |
| Philadelphia, PA | $74,590 | $74,860 | -$270 | Plumber |
| Jacksonville, FL | $58,280 | $58,920 | -$640 | Plumber |
| Denver, CO | $63,150 | $63,900 | -$750 | Plumber |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $69,340 | $70,100 | -$760 | Plumber |
| Omaha, NE | $62,440 | $63,400 | -$960 | Plumber |
| Little Rock, AR | $48,200 | $49,190 | -$990 | Plumber |
| Chicago, IL | $102,350 | $103,380 | -$1,030 | Plumber |
| San Antonio, TX | $57,010 | $58,180 | -$1,170 | Plumber |
| Knoxville, TN | $58,640 | $59,860 | -$1,220 | Plumber |
| Colorado Springs, CO | $59,210 | $60,510 | -$1,300 | Plumber |
| Cincinnati, OH | $63,490 | $65,160 | -$1,670 | Plumber |
| Houston, TX | $59,180 | $61,300 | -$2,120 | Plumber |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $62,620 | $64,800 | -$2,180 | Plumber |
| Dallas, TX | $59,010 | $61,250 | -$2,240 | Plumber |
| Austin, TX | $60,390 | $62,810 | -$2,420 | Plumber |
| Phoenix, AZ | $61,210 | $63,750 | -$2,540 | Plumber |
| Albany, NY | $74,890 | $77,460 | -$2,570 | Plumber |
| Birmingham, AL | $56,630 | $60,090 | -$3,460 | Plumber |
| Raleigh, NC | $56,800 | $60,540 | -$3,740 | Plumber |
| Reno, NV | $72,800 | $77,020 | -$4,220 | Plumber |
| Detroit, MI | $81,990 | $86,370 | -$4,380 | Plumber |
| Lexington, KY | $57,320 | $61,870 | -$4,550 | Plumber |
| Orlando, FL | $50,820 | $55,380 | -$4,560 | Plumber |
| Albuquerque, NM | $59,120 | $63,900 | -$4,780 | Plumber |
| Providence, RI | $73,980 | $79,820 | -$5,840 | Plumber |
| Madison, WI | $78,430 | $85,160 | -$6,730 | Plumber |
| Milwaukee, WI | $77,800 | $84,700 | -$6,900 | Plumber |
| Anchorage, AK | $82,440 | $93,600 | -$11,160 | Plumber |
| Indianapolis, IN | $65,130 | $76,980 | -$11,850 | Plumber |
| Des Moines, IA | $62,840 | $75,040 | -$12,200 | Plumber |
| Louisville, KY | $62,440 | $74,680 | -$12,240 | Plumber |
| San Jose, CA | $91,030 | $107,560 | -$16,530 | Plumber |
| Boston, MA | $79,910 | $96,760 | -$16,850 | Plumber |
| Minneapolis, MN | $81,890 | $101,630 | -$19,740 | Plumber |
Frequently Asked Questions
Plumber earns more on average, with a national median of $69,663 compared to $69,189 for Electrician, a difference of $474 per year.
The largest salary gap is in San Francisco, CA, where Electrician earns $92,830 vs $77,880 for Plumber.
Electrician has approximately 459,620 positions tracked, while Plumber has 282,530 positions. Electrician has more jobs available nationally.
More Salary Comparisons
Explore Further
Comparison based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2026.