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The differences between maintenance associates 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 associate and a general maintenance mechanic. Additionally, a general maintenance mechanic has an average salary of $37,631, which is higher than the $35,101 average annual salary of a maintenance associate.
The top three skills for a maintenance associate include customer service, clean environment and sales floor. The most important skills for a general maintenance mechanic are plumbing, HVAC, and customer service.
| Maintenance Associate | General Maintenance Mechanic | |
| Yearly salary | $35,101 | $37,631 |
| Hourly rate | $16.88 | $18.09 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 92,078 | 167,937 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 42% | High School Diploma, 46% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A maintenance associate is responsible for ensuring the cleanliness and orderliness of the facilities, as well as inspecting and repairing broken machines and defective equipment to avoid delays in the operations. Maintenance associates monitor the adequacy of inventories, especially in manufacturing settings, coordinating with suppliers and third-party vendors for distribution and delivery. They also report hazardous incidents to the management, resolve maintenance complaints, and suggest quality control strategies to prevent reoccurrence and improve operational structures.
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 associates and general maintenance mechanics have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Maintenance Associate | General Maintenance Mechanic | |
| Average salary | $35,101 | $37,631 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $47,000 | Between $27,000 And $51,000 |
| Highest paying City | Oak Creek, WI | Santa Clara, CA |
| Highest paying state | Wisconsin | Alaska |
| Best paying company | IDEX | Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a maintenance associate and a general maintenance mechanic in terms of educational background:
| Maintenance Associate | General Maintenance Mechanic | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 42% | High School Diploma, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between maintenance associates' and general maintenance mechanics' demographics:
| Maintenance Associate | General Maintenance Mechanic | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.2% Female, 15.8% | Male, 93.6% Female, 6.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 4.6% White, 60.9% 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% |