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Industrial electrician vs construction electrician

The differences between industrial electricians and construction electricians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both an industrial electrician and a construction electrician. Additionally, an industrial electrician has an average salary of $62,533, which is higher than the $44,135 average annual salary of a construction electrician.

The top three skills for an industrial electrician include electrical equipment, hand tools and ac. The most important skills for a construction electrician are transformers, electrical conduit, and hand tools.

Industrial electrician vs construction electrician overview

Industrial ElectricianConstruction Electrician
Yearly salary$62,533$44,135
Hourly rate$30.06$21.22
Growth rate7%7%
Number of jobs23,96341,814
Job satisfaction5-
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 42%Associate Degree, 36%
Average age4242
Years of experience1212

What does an industrial electrician do?

An Industrial Electrician installs, maintains, and repairs electrical systems in industrial facilities. They are usually part of a construction team to put in and check new equipment and systems.

What does a construction electrician do?

Construction electricians work on installing, wiring, and assembling electrical systems in residential and commercial buildings. To ensure that wires won't be dangling around the house, they install them upon partial completion of the building. They work with engineers to discuss how and where they can position the wires. These electricians install a building's electrical system for air conditioning, power, heat, etc. They set up transformers, circuit breakers, and fuse boxes to connect wires while following state and local wiring regulations.

Industrial electrician vs construction electrician salary

Industrial electricians and construction electricians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Industrial ElectricianConstruction Electrician
Average salary$62,533$44,135
Salary rangeBetween $47,000 And $82,000Between $28,000 And $67,000
Highest paying CitySaint Paul, MNSeattle, WA
Highest paying stateVermontWashington
Best paying companyThe Washington PostTri-State G&T
Best paying industryAutomotiveFinance

Differences between industrial electrician and construction electrician education

There are a few differences between an industrial electrician and a construction electrician in terms of educational background:

Industrial ElectricianConstruction Electrician
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 42%Associate Degree, 36%
Most common majorElectrical Engineering TechnologyElectrical Engineering Technology
Most common college--

Industrial electrician vs construction electrician demographics

Here are the differences between industrial electricians' and construction electricians' demographics:

Industrial ElectricianConstruction Electrician
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 96.6% Female, 3.4%Male, 92.9% Female, 7.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 2.2% White, 65.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 2.3% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage3%3%

Differences between industrial electrician and construction electrician duties and responsibilities

Industrial electrician example responsibilities.

  • Lead team to retrofit outdate piece of CNC machinery to allow usage for production personnel on a new design part.
  • Install electrical services ranging from 480 volts ac to 24 volts dc.
  • Include the installation of EMT and rigid conduit for branch circuits, fire alarm systems and motor control circuits.
  • Job responsibilities include running conduit wiring transformers and terminating PLC cabinets.
  • Work with voltages ranging from 24 vdc to 2300 vac.
  • Maintain both A/C and D/C main power generation systems.
  • Show more

Construction electrician example responsibilities.

  • Manage installation of wire, conduit, switches and receptacles to meet electronic needs in diverse office spaces and facilities.
  • Remove, analyze, identify issue install properly working pressure transducers, effectively accomplishing priorities to go underway.
  • Connect wiring to circuit breakers, transformers, motors, motor control cabinets, PLC's, and variable speed drives.
  • Wire lights, motors, PLC, fire alarm systems, communications, and motor control centers.
  • Bend EMT, IMC, and RMC conduit, with both hand hold and hydraulic benders.
  • Bend EMT conduit and rigid pipe.
  • Show more

Industrial electrician vs construction electrician skills

Common industrial electrician skills
  • Electrical Equipment, 8%
  • Hand Tools, 8%
  • Ac, 4%
  • Dc, 4%
  • Test Equipment, 4%
  • Industrial Maintenance, 4%
Common construction electrician skills
  • Transformers, 8%
  • Electrical Conduit, 7%
  • Hand Tools, 7%
  • Ladders, 6%
  • Electrical Equipment, 5%
  • NEC, 5%

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