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The differences between electronics technicians and instrument technicians 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 instrument technician. Additionally, an instrument technician has an average salary of $56,918, 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 instrument technician are patients, surgical instruments, and cleanliness.
| Electronics Technician | Instrument Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $46,660 | $56,918 |
| Hourly rate | $22.43 | $27.36 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 83,284 | 45,965 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.5 | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 52% | Associate Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| 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 instrument technician is an individual who is responsible for testing, repairing, and inspecting all manufacturing equipment to ensure proper operations of the machines. Instrument technicians collaborate with engineers to develop and produce equipment design and provide advice to process technicians about equipment operation. They remove defective equipment so that they can decontaminate and replace the damaged ones with new machines. They are also required by their employer to obtain certification in the field of instrumentation technology.
Electronics technicians and instrument technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Electronics Technician | Instrument Technician | |
| Average salary | $46,660 | $56,918 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $66,000 | Between $38,000 And $83,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Palo Alto, CA |
| Highest paying state | Montana | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Jacobs Engineering Group | Phillips 66 |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an electronics technician and an instrument technician in terms of educational background:
| Electronics Technician | Instrument Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 52% | Associate Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Northeastern University |
Here are the differences between electronics technicians' and instrument technicians' demographics:
| Electronics Technician | Instrument Technician | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.4% Female, 8.6% | Male, 83.4% Female, 16.6% |
| 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, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 8.0% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |