Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between instrument technicians and bench technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both an instrument technician and a bench technician. Additionally, an instrument technician has an average salary of $56,918, which is higher than the $41,317 average annual salary of a bench technician.
The top three skills for an instrument technician include patients, surgical instruments and cleanliness. The most important skills for a bench technician are troubleshoot, PC, and windows.
| Instrument Technician | Bench Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $56,918 | $41,317 |
| Hourly rate | $27.36 | $19.86 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 45,965 | 79,375 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 48% | Associate Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
An instrument technician is an individual who is responsible for testing, repairing, and inspecting all manufacturing equipment to ensure proper operations of the machines. Instrument technicians collaborate with engineers to develop and produce equipment design and provide advice to process technicians about equipment operation. They remove defective equipment so that they can decontaminate and replace the damaged ones with new machines. They are also required by their employer to obtain certification in the field of instrumentation technology.
A Bench Technician specializes in installing, maintaining, and repairing electronic equipment and machinery. Although the extent of their responsibilities primarily depends on their place or employment industry, it typically includes conducting inspections and assessments, programming and troubleshooting systems, replacing and fixing components, and producing progress reports as needed. Moreover, a Bench Technician must maintain an active communication line with co-workers while adhering to its safety standards and regulations for a safe and efficient work environment.
Instrument technicians and bench technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Instrument Technician | Bench Technician | |
| Average salary | $56,918 | $41,317 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $83,000 | Between $29,000 And $57,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | - |
| Best paying company | Phillips 66 | - |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | - |
There are a few differences between an instrument technician and a bench technician in terms of educational background:
| Instrument Technician | Bench Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 48% | Associate Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Northeastern University |
Here are the differences between instrument technicians' and bench technicians' demographics:
| Instrument Technician | Bench Technician | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.4% Female, 16.6% | Male, 89.4% Female, 10.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 8.0% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 8.0% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |