Post job

Field installer vs outside plant technician

The differences between field installers and outside plant technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an outside plant technician has an average salary of $42,451, which is higher than the $41,668 average annual salary of a field installer.

The top three skills for a field installer include customer satisfaction, windows and ladders. The most important skills for an outside plant technician are ladders, outside plant, and CDL.

Field installer vs outside plant technician overview

Field InstallerOutside Plant Technician
Yearly salary$41,668$42,451
Hourly rate$20.03$20.41
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs73,31167,234
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 33%Associate Degree, 38%
Average age4545
Years of experience--

Field installer vs outside plant technician salary

Field installers and outside plant technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Field InstallerOutside Plant Technician
Average salary$41,668$42,451
Salary rangeBetween $36,000 And $48,000Between $29,000 And $61,000
Highest paying CityAlbany, NY-
Highest paying stateAlaska-
Best paying companyCrown Equipment-
Best paying industryRetail-

Differences between field installer and outside plant technician education

There are a few differences between a field installer and an outside plant technician in terms of educational background:

Field InstallerOutside Plant Technician
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 33%Associate Degree, 38%
Most common majorBusinessElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeNew York UniversityStanford University

Field installer vs outside plant technician demographics

Here are the differences between field installers' and outside plant technicians' demographics:

Field InstallerOutside Plant Technician
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 95.1% Female, 4.9%Male, 96.8% Female, 3.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 6.4% White, 58.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 14.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 6.2% White, 56.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between field installer and outside plant technician duties and responsibilities

Field installer example responsibilities.

  • Retrofit security wiring in residential and commercial settings.
  • General construction including electrical repairs and installation, plumbing repair and installation, drywall and basic carpentry.
  • Install expansion and control valves, using acetylene torches and wrenches.

Outside plant technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage and administer documentation of OSP fiber optic plant in support of customer projects, network planning, and municipality requirements.
  • Move and/or lift items such as ladders, tools, air tanks, cable reels, and test equipment
  • Install residential and business telephone lines, including premise CAT5 wiring and jack work.
  • Perform construction work such as digging holes, installing inner duct in various types of conduit systems and open excavations.
  • Organize projects that include open excavations, placing cables, air pipes and inner duct in various types of conduit systems.
  • Install and repair T1 and T3 systems.
  • Show more

Field installer vs outside plant technician skills

Common field installer skills
  • Customer Satisfaction, 22%
  • Windows, 16%
  • Ladders, 8%
  • HVAC, 7%
  • PC, 6%
  • Safety Procedures, 5%
Common outside plant technician skills
  • Ladders, 10%
  • Outside Plant, 10%
  • CDL, 8%
  • Test Equipment, 6%
  • Safety Procedures, 6%
  • OSHA, 5%

Browse installation, maintenance and repair jobs