Circuit board assembler vs assembly technician

The differences between circuit board assemblers and assembly technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an assembly technician has an average salary of $34,952, which is higher than the $31,825 average annual salary of a circuit board assembler.

The top three skills for a circuit board assembler include hand tools, through-hole and PCB. The most important skills for an assembly technician are customer service, hand tools, and lean manufacturing.

Circuit board assembler vs assembly technician overview

	Circuit Board Assembler	Assembly Technician
Yearly salary	$31,825	$34,952
Hourly rate	$15.30	$16.80
Growth rate	-	2%
Number of jobs	18,512	52,385
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 34%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	-	-

Circuit board assembler vs assembly technician salary

Circuit board assemblers and assembly technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Circuit Board Assembler	Assembly Technician
Average salary	$31,825	$34,952
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $40,000	Between $28,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	Beaverton, OR	Sunnyvale, CA
Highest paying state	Arizona	Washington
Best paying company	Rockwell Automation	Jefferson Lab
Best paying industry	Technology	Finance

Differences between circuit board assembler and assembly technician education

There are a few differences between a circuit board assembler and an assembly technician in terms of educational background:

	Circuit Board Assembler	Assembly Technician
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 34%
Most common major	Electrical Engineering	Business
Most common college	-	-

Circuit board assembler vs assembly technician demographics

Here are the differences between circuit board assemblers' and assembly technicians' demographics:

	Circuit Board Assembler	Assembly Technician
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 52.9% Female, 47.1%	Male, 75.7% Female, 24.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 2.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 9.3% White, 65.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 2.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 9.8% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between circuit board assembler and assembly technician duties and responsibilities

Circuit board assembler example responsibilities.

Enforce ISO and IPC quality standards for producing and handling product.
Expose PCB image on photoresist.
Train in ESD avoidance procedures.
Test PCB electronic components for defects.
Practice ESD, FOD, and safety regulations according to company policy.
Measure parts to determine tolerances by using precision measuring instruments such as micrometers and calipers.

Assembly technician example responsibilities.

Manage the flow of each pallet to ensure the group is able to produce the quality product.
Perform in microscope SMT hand soldering to IPC standards and rework BTC components.
Use proper electrical discharge PPE (personal protection equipment) in ESD zone properly to prevent unexpect incident or damage device.
Perform electro-mechanical tasks using a wide range of electronic equipment.
Install switches, gfi's.
Rework (complex wiring) to CCA's according to ECO's.

Circuit board assembler vs assembly technician skills

Common circuit board assembler skills

Hand Tools, 18%
Through-Hole, 17%
PCB, 10%
Soldering Irons, 6%
Hand Solder, 6%
ESD, 5%

Common assembly technician skills

Customer Service, 26%
Hand Tools, 12%
Lean Manufacturing, 4%
Safety Procedures, 4%
Basic Math, 3%
Sub Assemblies, 3%

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Circuit Board Assembler
Circuit Board Assembler vs Assembly Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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