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The differences between irrigation technicians and maintenance technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an irrigation technician, becoming a maintenance technician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a maintenance technician has an average salary of $43,293, which is higher than the $35,472 average annual salary of an irrigation technician.
The top three skills for an irrigation technician include golf courses, trenchers and sprinkler heads. The most important skills for a maintenance technician are plumbing, HVAC, and hand tools.
| Irrigation Technician | Maintenance Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $35,472 | $43,293 |
| Hourly rate | $17.05 | $20.81 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 27,291 | 178,450 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.25 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 42% | High School Diploma, 34% |
| Average age | 41 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
An irrigation technician is responsible for installing, testing, and maintaining irrigation equipment such as sprinklers, suction valves, and pumps. Typical duties for this position include operating heavy machinery for trenching, installing wiring systems for irrigation timers, and inspecting equipment for a day's work. In addition, an irrigation technician may be required to travel to the client's location to install, test, or perform preventative maintenance of irrigation equipment. You are also expected to dig trenches and install lines and pipes and troubleshoot and replace faulty parts.
Maintenance technicians are technicians who specialize in the preservation of office facilities. They have in-depth knowledge of how various office equipment or fixtures work so that they can immediately identify how to repair them in case of breakdowns. Maintenance technicians perform diagnostics and routine maintenance activities to ensure that everything in the office is running well. They immediately repair problems in fixtures or equipment to avoid any further damages or safety concerns. They should be familiar with occupational safety and health standards to ensure that the office is a safe place to work.
Irrigation technicians and maintenance technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Irrigation Technician | Maintenance Technician | |
| Average salary | $35,472 | $43,293 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $45,000 | Between $31,000 And $59,000 |
| Highest paying City | Concord, CA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | San Diego College of Continuing Education | Anheuser-Busch |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an irrigation technician and a maintenance technician in terms of educational background:
| Irrigation Technician | Maintenance Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 42% | High School Diploma, 34% |
| Most common major | Business | Electrical Engineering Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between irrigation technicians' and maintenance technicians' demographics:
| Irrigation Technician | Maintenance Technician | |
| Average age | 41 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 96.1% Female, 3.9% | Male, 95.7% Female, 4.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 26.0% Asian, 2.0% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4% | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 4.6% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 3% | 2% |