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The differences between maintenance assistants and general maintenance mechanics can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a maintenance assistant and a general maintenance mechanic. Additionally, a general maintenance mechanic has an average salary of $37,631, which is higher than the $31,915 average annual salary of a maintenance assistant.
The top three skills for a maintenance assistant include plumbing, HVAC and customer service. The most important skills for a general maintenance mechanic are plumbing, HVAC, and customer service.
| Maintenance Assistant | General Maintenance Mechanic | |
| Yearly salary | $31,915 | $37,631 |
| Hourly rate | $15.34 | $18.09 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 95,815 | 167,937 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 35% | High School Diploma, 46% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A maintenance assistant is responsible for maintaining the company's facilities' cleanliness, ensuring that all the equipment and machinery are in working condition, and escalating high defective items for repair. Maintenance assistants should adhere to the organization's safety standards at all times to prevent hazards in operations. They also assist with monitoring inventories and requesting office supplies, inspect electrical wirings and systems for inconsistencies, respond to cleaning and repair requests, and assist guests to the correct departments.
A general maintenance mechanic is responsible for ensuring the cleanliness and orderliness of the facilities and inspecting the condition and performance of the equipment and machinery for business operations and processes. General maintenance mechanics handle equipment repairs and replacement of defective components, requiring them to have extensive knowledge of the mechanical industry. They also install and assemble equipment by analyzing mechanical schematics and blueprints accurately. A general maintenance mechanic creates a comprehensive schedule of inspection, repairs, and quality control checks to preserve the safe standards of the premises.
Maintenance assistants and general maintenance mechanics have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Maintenance Assistant | General Maintenance Mechanic | |
| Average salary | $31,915 | $37,631 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $41,000 | Between $27,000 And $51,000 |
| Highest paying City | Las Vegas, NV | Santa Clara, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Brigham and Women's Hospital | Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center |
| Best paying industry | Government | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a maintenance assistant and a general maintenance mechanic in terms of educational background:
| Maintenance Assistant | General Maintenance Mechanic | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 35% | High School Diploma, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between maintenance assistants' and general maintenance mechanics' demographics:
| Maintenance Assistant | General Maintenance Mechanic | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.6% Female, 13.4% | Male, 93.6% Female, 6.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.3% Asian, 4.4% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.9% Asian, 4.5% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 2% |