Plumbing

Types of Degrees Plumbing Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many plumbing technology/plumber graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Undergraduate Certificate	1,343
Basic Certificate	783
Associate Degree	83

What Plumbing Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to plumbing technology/plumber were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Plumbing Technology/Plumber Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Building and Construction - Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

Skills for Plumbing Technology/Plumber Majors

plumbing technology/plumber majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.
• Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
• Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Abilities for Plumbing Technology/Plumber Majors

Plumbing Technology/Plumber majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Plumbing Major?

People with a plumbing technology/plumber degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers	12.6%	$65,230
Plumbers	15.6%	$53,910
Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners	17.2%	$38,970

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Plumbing?

This major tends to be male dominated. About 96% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of plumbing technology/plumber majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	3
Black or African American	1
Hispanic or Latino	11
White	64
International Students	0
Other Races/Ethnicities	4

How Much Do Plumbing Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Plumbing Technology/Plumber majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $41,530 to $70,540 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Plumbing

Some careers associated with plumbing technology/plumber require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to plumbing technology/plumber have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	15.0%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	37.9%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	31.5%
Some College Courses	14.9%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	1.5%

Online Plumbing Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	95	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	18	0
Associate’s Degree	32	0
Bachelor’s Degree	0	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	0	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Plumbing Worth It?

The median salary for a plumbing technology/plumber grad is $58,150 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 46% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $365,000 after 20 years!

Trades Related to Plumbing

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to plumbing technology/plumber.

Major	Number of Grads
Pipefitting/Pipefitter & Sprinkler Fitter	663
Other Plumbing & Related Water Supply Services	11
Well Drilling/Driller	5
Blasting/Blaster	0

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Tomwsulcer under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.