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The differences between equipment technicians and shop 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 $36,798 average annual salary of a shop technician.
The top three skills for an equipment technician include preventative maintenance, patients and equipment maintenance. The most important skills for a shop technician are preventative maintenance, routine maintenance, and diagnosis.
| Equipment Technician | Shop Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $41,004 | $36,798 |
| Hourly rate | $19.71 | $17.69 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 127,258 | 150,349 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 39% | High School Diploma, 30% |
| Average age | 46 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
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.
Shop Technicians are skilled workers assigned to a retail store. Their main activities depend on the nature of the business their company is in. Usually, Shop Technicians work with machines in the shop. They conduct repair and maintenance work for machines that have long been in the shop. They are also in charge of installing and building new machines as well. Shop Technicians are assigned to manage records of such machines or s other mechanical items in the store. This is part of the administrative activities they may do for the shop.
Equipment technicians and shop technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Equipment Technician | Shop Technician | |
| Average salary | $41,004 | $36,798 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $56,000 | Between $25,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Leandro, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Westinghouse Appliances Australia | Los Alamos National Laboratory |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Energy |
There are a few differences between an equipment technician and a shop technician in terms of educational background:
| Equipment Technician | Shop Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 39% | High School Diploma, 30% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Automotive Technology |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | - |
Here are the differences between equipment technicians' and shop technicians' demographics:
| Equipment Technician | Shop Technician | |
| Average age | 46 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.4% Female, 10.6% | Male, 91.9% Female, 8.1% |
| 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, 8.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 2.4% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 2% |