Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024
Plumber vs Solar PV Installer
Plumbers earn a national median of $69,782 versus $53,971 for Solar PV Installers, a gap of $15,811 per 2024 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Plumbers have posted +6% 5-year wage growth versus +22% for Solar PV Installers.
How These Trades Stack Up
Plumbers out-earn Solar PV Installers on national median by $15,811 — $69,782 versus $53,971, or about 29% more. That gap reflects differences in apprenticeship length, certification requirements, industry concentration, and union footprint between the two trades.
Solar PV Installers have grown faster — +22% over five years versus +6% for Plumbers. Sustained growth gaps of this size can compound meaningfully over a 20-30 year career, so workers comparing the two trades should weigh growth alongside the headline median.
Solar PV Installers typically complete a 2-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
Solar PV Installer
Electrical · 2yr apprenticeship
City-by-City Comparison
| City | Plumber | Solar PV Installer | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portland, OR | $100,110 | $59,830 | +$40,280 |
| New York, NY | $79,420 | $61,140 | +$18,280 |
| Kansas City, MO | $72,600 | $57,200 | +$15,400 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $72,580 | $54,380 | +$18,200 |
| San Francisco, CA | $71,700 | $70,390 | +$1,310 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $65,110 | $59,660 | +$5,450 |
| Denver, CO | $64,300 | $51,860 | +$12,440 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $63,780 | $38,650 | +$25,130 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $62,680 | $51,540 | +$11,140 |
| Dallas, TX | $60,370 | $41,050 | +$19,320 |
| Houston, TX | $60,230 | $46,020 | +$14,210 |
| Las Vegas, NV | $59,640 | $66,070 | -$6,430 |
| Miami, FL | $56,170 | $48,930 | +$7,240 |
| Tampa, FL | $52,280 | $48,870 | +$3,410 |
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 Solar PV Installers make more money?
Plumbers earn more on national median — $69,782 versus $53,971, a gap of $15,811 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?
Solar PV Installers have posted faster wage growth at +22% versus +6% for Plumbers. 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. Solar PV Installers typically complete a 2-year registered apprenticeship. Programs are listed at https://www.apprenticeship.gov/.
Which trade has better employment depth?
Plumbers have 189,520 workers employed nationally; Solar PV Installers have 10,350. 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 Solar PV Installer 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 $53,971 for Solar PV Installers, a gap of $15,811 per 2024 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Plumbers have posted +6% 5-year wage growth versus +22% for Solar PV Installers.
Comparing Plumber and Solar PV Installer on U.S. skilled-trade wage data requires lining up the underlying the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey data side by side. The table above runs the comparison on the canonical fields; the narrative below identifies the factor or factors that drive the most meaningful difference between the two.
For households or analysts using this comparison as a decision input, the right framing is usually not "which is better" in aggregate but "which is better for the specific decision in front of you." the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey captures the raw data; the framing depends on whether the question is investment, residency, planning, or research.