Electronic assembly technician vs circuit board assembler

The differences between electronic assembly technicians and circuit board assemblers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an electronic assembly technician has an average salary of $34,320, which is higher than the $31,825 average annual salary of a circuit board assembler.

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

Electronic assembly technician vs circuit board assembler overview

	Electronic Assembly Technician	Circuit Board Assembler
Yearly salary	$34,320	$31,825
Hourly rate	$16.50	$15.30
Growth rate	2%	-
Number of jobs	21,997	18,512
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 49%	High School Diploma, 36%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	-	-

Electronic assembly technician vs circuit board assembler salary

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

	Electronic Assembly Technician	Circuit Board Assembler
Average salary	$34,320	$31,825
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $42,000	Between $25,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Phoenix, AZ	Beaverton, OR
Highest paying state	Arizona	Arizona
Best paying company	Battelle	Rockwell Automation
Best paying industry	Technology	Technology

Differences between electronic assembly technician and circuit board assembler education

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

	Electronic Assembly Technician	Circuit Board Assembler
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 49%	High School Diploma, 36%
Most common major	Electrical Engineering	Electrical Engineering
Most common college	-	-

Electronic assembly technician vs circuit board assembler demographics

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

	Electronic Assembly Technician	Circuit Board Assembler
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 73.4% Female, 26.6%	Male, 52.9% Female, 47.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 2.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 11.8% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	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%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between electronic assembly technician and circuit board assembler duties and responsibilities

Electronic assembly technician example responsibilities.

Operate stamping machine and assemble ESD carts.
Flex circuits, through-hole components and limit SMD work.
Hand soldering through-hole and SMT soldering to component level repairs.
Perform component level repair on SMT PWB's using test bed data.
Handle small delicate components, using ESD practices and clean room protocol.
Operate metalworking machines to fabricate housings, jigs, fittings, or fixtures.

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.

Electronic assembly technician vs circuit board assembler skills

Common electronic assembly technician skills

Mechanical Assembly, 12%
Mechanical Drawings, 11%
Lean Manufacturing, 9%
Soldering Irons, 7%
Surface Mount Components, 5%
Drill Press, 5%

Common circuit board assembler skills

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

Electronic Assembly Technician vs. similar jobs

Electronic Assembly Technician related careers

Electronic Assembly Technician related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Production and Manufacturing Industry
Electronic Assembly Technician
Electronic Assembly Technician vs Circuit Board Assembler

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse production and manufacturing jobs