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The differences between finishing technicians and assembly technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a finishing technician has an average salary of $35,050, which is higher than the $34,952 average annual salary of an assembly technician.
The top three skills for a finishing technician include hand tools, grinders and pallets. The most important skills for an assembly technician are customer service, hand tools, and lean manufacturing.
| Finishing Technician | Assembly Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $35,050 | $34,952 |
| Hourly rate | $16.85 | $16.80 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 43,972 | 52,385 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 39% | High School Diploma, 34% |
| Average age | 44 | 49 |
| Years of experience | 2 | - |
With great attention to detail, a finishing technician must have the ability to use all the machinery provided to finish a job. Finishing technicians must work long hours on sketches, blueprints, and other specifications. They must execute quality work to deadlines and adapt to changes that might occur between process implementations. They are responsible for training staff on machines and troubleshooting when issues arise. They are also responsible for quality control on finished products.
Assembly technicians are responsible for constructing small parts and components to create a new product according to the specifications of a client or a supervisor. An assembly technician performs diagnostic tests on the assembled product to ensure efficiency and conduct adjustments as needed. An assembly technician also provides manual instructional guides for product use and troubleshooting procedures. Assembly technicians must be knowledgeable about the technology and mechanical industry, as well as have the ability to analyze designs as a guide for creating high-quality products.
Finishing technicians and assembly technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Finishing Technician | Assembly Technician | |
| Average salary | $35,050 | $34,952 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $43,000 | Between $28,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | Baton Rouge, LA | Sunnyvale, CA |
| Highest paying state | Montana | Washington |
| Best paying company | Promega | Jefferson Lab |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Finance |
There are a few differences between a finishing technician and an assembly technician in terms of educational background:
| Finishing Technician | Assembly Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 39% | High School Diploma, 34% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | - |
Here are the differences between finishing technicians' and assembly technicians' demographics:
| Finishing Technician | Assembly Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 49 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 68.4% Female, 31.6% | Male, 75.7% Female, 24.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 8.4% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 2.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 9.8% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 6% |