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The differences between equipment technicians and service technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an equipment technician has an average salary of $41,004, which is higher than the $40,379 average annual salary of a service technician.
The top three skills for an equipment technician include preventative maintenance, patients and equipment maintenance. The most important skills for a service technician are plumbing, customer service, and preventative maintenance.
| Equipment Technician | Service Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $41,004 | $40,379 |
| Hourly rate | $19.71 | $19.41 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 127,258 | 254,533 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 39% | Associate Degree, 29% |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | 12 |
An equipment technician is responsible for handling the operations of company equipment and machinery, inspecting for any malfunctions, and immediately repairing defective components to prevent delays in productivity. Equipment technicians create a report of system failures, referencing documentation to develop consistency with the equipment, and suggest corrective actions. They should also analyze schematics and blueprints for guides on how to maintain the equipment's reliability. An equipment technician must have excellent knowledge of the mechanical industry, especially on enhancing equipment's performance and maximizing operational productivity.
Service technicians are assigned in the field to address the concerns of their clients. Service technicians are responsible for the installation, maintenance, or repair of different units or items related to their company's products or services. They should be familiar with their company's products so that they can properly install, maintain, or repair them. They conduct diagnostics and analysis to assess the condition of the unit they are servicing and properly address problems. They also do routine maintenance check-ups. Service technicians are expected to be trustworthy, have good analytical skills, and have good decision-making skills.
Equipment technicians and service technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Equipment Technician | Service Technician | |
| Average salary | $41,004 | $40,379 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $56,000 | Between $28,000 And $57,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Westinghouse Appliances Australia | IBM |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Technology |
There are a few differences between an equipment technician and a service technician in terms of educational background:
| Equipment Technician | Service Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 39% | Associate Degree, 29% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | - |
Here are the differences between equipment technicians' and service technicians' demographics:
| Equipment Technician | Service Technician | |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.4% Female, 10.6% | Male, 89.2% Female, 10.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 2.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 6.0% White, 69.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 5.1% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 1.7% White, 72.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 1% |