Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024
Plumber vs Diesel Mechanic
Plumbers earn a national median of $69,782 versus $64,435 for Diesel Mechanics, a gap of $5,347 per 2024 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Plumbers have posted +6% 5-year wage growth versus +5% for Diesel Mechanics.
How These Trades Stack Up
Plumbers out-earn Diesel Mechanics on national median by $5,347 — $69,782 versus $64,435, or about 8% more. That gap reflects differences in apprenticeship length, certification requirements, industry concentration, and union footprint between the two trades.
Both trades have posted comparable 5-year wage growth — Plumbers at +6% versus Diesel Mechanics at +5%. That suggests both occupations sit in similar parts of the demand cycle, with neither pulling ahead structurally.
Diesel Mechanics typically complete a 3-year apprenticeship while Plumbers require 4 years. The longer pathway usually translates into higher journeyman pay and stronger licensure protection, but it also delays full earnings; the shorter pathway delivers faster income at typically lower medians.
Plumber
Plumbing · 4yr apprenticeship
Diesel Mechanic
Automotive · 3yr apprenticeship
City-by-City Comparison
| City | Plumber | Diesel Mechanic | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portland, OR | $100,110 | $67,430 | +$32,680 |
| Chicago, IL | $98,890 | $65,240 | +$33,650 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $97,020 | $68,750 | +$28,270 |
| Seattle, WA | $87,160 | $80,850 | +$6,310 |
| Boston, MA | $83,640 | $72,290 | +$11,350 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $82,080 | $60,740 | +$21,340 |
| Detroit, MI | $81,480 | $60,550 | +$20,930 |
| New York, NY | $79,420 | $73,920 | +$5,500 |
| St. Louis, MO | $73,060 | $62,110 | +$10,950 |
| Kansas City, MO | $72,600 | $62,680 | +$9,920 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $72,580 | $63,080 | +$9,500 |
| San Francisco, CA | $71,700 | $80,820 | -$9,120 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $66,930 | $58,680 | +$8,250 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $66,090 | $64,170 | +$1,920 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $65,110 | $74,490 | -$9,380 |
| New Orleans, LA | $64,340 | $58,430 | +$5,910 |
| Denver, CO | $64,300 | $71,080 | -$6,780 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $63,780 | $62,700 | +$1,080 |
| Columbus, OH | $63,600 | $62,320 | +$1,280 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $62,680 | $60,090 | +$2,590 |
| Dallas, TX | $60,370 | $60,020 | +$350 |
| Houston, TX | $60,230 | $60,180 | +$50 |
| Nashville, TN | $59,870 | $60,840 | -$970 |
| Las Vegas, NV | $59,640 | $63,090 | -$3,450 |
| Atlanta, GA | $58,690 | $60,730 | -$2,040 |
| San Antonio, TX | $58,530 | $56,840 | +$1,690 |
| Miami, FL | $56,170 | $63,260 | -$7,090 |
| Raleigh, NC | $55,560 | $58,920 | -$3,360 |
| Charlotte, NC | $55,550 | $58,380 | -$2,830 |
| Tampa, FL | $52,280 | $60,380 | -$8,100 |
How These Numbers Are Calculated
All wage figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (2024) release at bls.gov/oes. National medians are the BLS-published median wages for the trade's Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code; metropolitan medians come from the same OEWS release at the metropolitan statistical area level. Five-year wage growth compares the current OEWS median to the same series five releases prior, expressed as a percent change. The Trade Pay Score weights raw pay (30%), wage growth (25%), employment depth (25%), and cost-of-living-adjusted purchasing power (20%) into a single 0-100 grade — read the full methodology.
Forward-looking employment projections through 2032 for both trades are published in the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at bls.gov/ooh. Apprenticeship pathway detail comes from the U.S. Department of Labor's apprenticeship.gov registry. All three are public-domain federal data sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Plumbers or Diesel Mechanics make more money?
Plumbers earn more on national median — $69,782 versus $64,435, a gap of $5,347 per 2024 BLS OEWS data. The full BLS dataset is published at https://www.bls.gov/oes/.
Which trade has stronger 5-year wage growth?
Plumbers have posted faster wage growth at +6% versus +5% for Diesel Mechanics. Sustained gaps in growth often compound meaningfully over a 20-30 year career.
How long is the apprenticeship for each trade?
Plumbers typically complete a 4-year registered apprenticeship. Diesel Mechanics typically complete a 3-year registered apprenticeship. Programs are listed at https://www.apprenticeship.gov/.
Which trade has better employment depth?
Plumbers have 189,520 workers employed nationally; Diesel Mechanics have 107,570. Larger employment bases generally translate into more job openings, easier mobility between employers, and lower volatility — useful when comparing the long-term resilience of two trade pathways.
Where can I find apprenticeships for either trade?
Registered apprenticeship programs for both Plumber and Diesel Mechanic are listed on the U.S. Department of Labor's apprenticeship.gov site at https://www.apprenticeship.gov/, which lets you filter by trade, state, and city. Projected employment growth through 2032 for each occupation is published in the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/.
Plumbers earn a national median of $69,782 versus $64,435 for Diesel Mechanics, a gap of $5,347 per 2024 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Plumbers have posted +6% 5-year wage growth versus +5% for Diesel Mechanics.
The side-by-side above pulls the the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey data for both entity A and entity B. What follows is the interpretation — which specific axes carry the most weight for entity A versus entity B, and which differences are large enough to influence a real decision.
Practical use of the comparison: read the data above, then drill into the individual entity A and entity B detail pages for the underlying breakdown. A pairwise comparison answers the relative question; the per-entity pages answer the absolute question.