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The differences between handymen and repair technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a handyman and a repair technician. Additionally, a handyman has an average salary of $44,648, which is higher than the $41,643 average annual salary of a repair technician.
The top three skills for a handyman include plumbing, customer service and drywall repair. The most important skills for a repair technician are customer service, hand tools, and customer satisfaction.
| Handyman | Repair Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $44,648 | $41,643 |
| Hourly rate | $21.47 | $20.02 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 3,371 | 162,051 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.5 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 41% | Associate Degree, 38% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A handyman can perform various repair and maintenance tasks involving electricity, carpentry, plumbing, and even appliance installation. Most handymen work independently, but they can also choose to be part of a company. Furthermore, a handyman must also discuss the extent of repairs to clients, even sharing insights on maintaining facilities in good condition. There are instances when a handyman may be required to work in a group setting, which requires an active line of communication and coordination.
A repair technician's role focuses on assessing the problem or damage of a device and implementing solutions for it to function again. Although the extent of a technician's tasks will depend on the device or industry of employment, most of it revolves around troubleshooting, providing technical support, installing and writing programs, detaching and re-attaching wirings, welding, and even thoroughly discussing problems and solutions to clients. Furthermore, there are instances when a repair technician must work in a team setting that requires coordination and communication.
Handymen and repair technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Handyman | Repair Technician | |
| Average salary | $44,648 | $41,643 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $61,000 | Between $27,000 And $63,000 |
| Highest paying City | Silver Spring, MD | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | The American Musical and Dramatic Academy | SoCalGas |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a handyman and a repair technician in terms of educational background:
| Handyman | Repair Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 41% | Associate Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Business | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between handymen' and repair technicians' demographics:
| Handyman | Repair Technician | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.8% Female, 4.2% | Male, 88.3% Female, 11.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 22.4% Asian, 4.3% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 4.6% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 2% |