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The differences between electricians and lead electricians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both an electrician and a lead electrician. Additionally, a lead electrician has an average salary of $56,709, which is higher than the $48,850 average annual salary of an electrician.
The top three skills for an electrician include hand tools, electrical equipment and run conduit. The most important skills for a lead electrician are electrical equipment, hand tools, and electrical systems.
An electrician is a skilled tradesman in charge of wirings and systems which provide electric power to a facility. They are trained to design, install, maintain, and troubleshoot electrical wiring systems. There are four basic types of an electrician - residential wiremen, inside wiremen, telecommunications electrician, and outside linemen. Some work on a standard 40-hour week shift while others are on-call duty. In some cases, traveling is also a vital key to their role where they would work for a few days before moving to another location.
A Lead Electrician is the one who does the maintenance, inspection, and repair, and installation of needed equipment and other electric-related things. They are the one who supervises and monitors the job of the Electrician, plans and takes action to every happening and problem that they can encounter. They also do the planning of schedule and the process of conducting an equipment check-up and maintenance. Also, they need to be knowledgeable when it comes to repairing and installing needed material and equipment.
Electricians and lead electricians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Electrician | Lead Electrician | |
| Average salary | $48,850 | $56,709 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $73,000 | Between $38,000 And $84,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Berkeley, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Vermont |
| Best paying company | PBF Energy | Ameresco |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Energy |
There are a few differences between an electrician and a lead electrician in terms of educational background:
| Electrician | Lead Electrician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 32% | Associate Degree, 33% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering Technology | Electrical Engineering Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between electricians' and lead electricians' demographics:
| Electrician | Lead Electrician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.6% Female, 4.4% | Male, 97.4% Female, 2.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 2.2% White, 63.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 2.2% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 3% | 3% |