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The differences between electronics technicians and 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 electronics technician and an electrician. Additionally, an electrician has an average salary of $48,850, which is higher than the $46,660 average annual salary of an electronics technician.
The top three skills for an electronics technician include hand tools, RF and ladders. The most important skills for an electrician are hand tools, electrical equipment, and run conduit.
| Electronics Technician | Electrician | |
| Yearly salary | $46,660 | $48,850 |
| Hourly rate | $22.43 | $23.49 |
| Growth rate | - | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 83,284 | 17,245 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.5 | 3.86 |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 52% | High School Diploma, 32% |
| Average age | 50 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
An electronics technician is responsible for the maintenance of the technology and electrical equipment to ensure its performance with the highest quality standards. Electronics technicians' duties include troubleshooting, replacing malfunction equipment components, upgrading technology and software systems, operating machines, diagnosing defects, analyzing blueprints, conducting system installations, and creating reports for technological procedures. An electronics technician must have excellent attention to detail and decision-making skills, as well as the ability to multi-task in performing tasks accurately and efficiently to deliver the best services to clients.
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.
Electronics technicians and electricians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Electronics Technician | Electrician | |
| Average salary | $46,660 | $48,850 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $66,000 | Between $32,000 And $73,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Montana | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Jacobs Engineering Group | PBF Energy |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Automotive |
There are a few differences between an electronics technician and an electrician in terms of educational background:
| Electronics Technician | Electrician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 52% | High School Diploma, 32% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering Technology |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | - |
Here are the differences between electronics technicians' and electricians' demographics:
| Electronics Technician | Electrician | |
| Average age | 50 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.4% Female, 8.6% | Male, 95.6% Female, 4.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 8.0% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 3% |