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The differences between airframe mechanics and aircraft maintenance technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an airframe mechanic and an aircraft maintenance technician. Additionally, an airframe mechanic has an average salary of $60,976, which is higher than the $53,026 average annual salary of an aircraft maintenance technician.
The top three skills for an airframe mechanic include landing gear, safety procedures and hand tools. The most important skills for an aircraft maintenance technician are FAA, airframe, and powerplant.
| Airframe Mechanic | Aircraft Maintenance Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $60,976 | $53,026 |
| Hourly rate | $29.32 | $25.49 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 34,067 | 105,268 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 41% | Associate Degree, 43% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Airframe mechanics and aircraft maintenance technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Airframe Mechanic | Aircraft Maintenance Technician | |
| Average salary | $60,976 | $53,026 |
| Salary range | Between $43,000 And $86,000 | Between $37,000 And $75,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Nevada |
| Best paying company | - | Citi |
| Best paying industry | - | Government |
There are a few differences between an airframe mechanic and an aircraft maintenance technician in terms of educational background:
| Airframe Mechanic | Aircraft Maintenance Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 41% | Associate Degree, 43% |
| Most common major | Aviation | Aviation |
| Most common college | Purdue University | Purdue University |
Here are the differences between airframe mechanics' and aircraft maintenance technicians' demographics:
| Airframe Mechanic | Aircraft Maintenance Technician | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.6% Female, 5.4% | Male, 93.6% Female, 6.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 21.0% Asian, 5.3% White, 56.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 23.1% Asian, 6.6% White, 55.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 2% |