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The differences between maintenance planners and maintenance engineers 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 planner and a maintenance engineer. Additionally, a maintenance planner has an average salary of $57,625, which is higher than the $47,133 average annual salary of a maintenance engineer.
The top three skills for a maintenance planner include CMMS, maintenance planning and maintenance tasks. The most important skills for a maintenance engineer are plumbing, HVAC, and guest rooms.
| Maintenance Planner | Maintenance Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $57,625 | $47,133 |
| Hourly rate | $27.70 | $22.66 |
| Growth rate | -3% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 71,145 | 97,957 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 49 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A maintenance planner is responsible for maintaining the efficiency and optimal performance of the operational tools, equipment, and machinery. Maintenance planners assist with the personnel's request for equipment repairs, requiring them to have excellent knowledge of the mechanical industry to identify inconsistencies and glitches and perform immediate troubleshooting. They schedule maintenance routine checks, upgrade component features, and replace malfunctioning parts as needed. A maintenance planner also supports the staff on the proper usage of machinery by creating procedural manuals and demonstrations.
A maintenance engineer is responsible for the maintenance of industrial machinery and inspects equipment defects for immediate troubleshooting or replacement as needed. Maintenance engineers install and upgrade system components to improve system optimization and perform diagnostic systems to locate any adjustments. They also conduct routine checks, assist clients with technical faults, and ensure that the equipment works safely for certain operations. A maintenance engineer must have excellent knowledge of the mechanical industry to address technical malfunctions immediately.
Maintenance planners and maintenance engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Maintenance Planner | Maintenance Engineer | |
| Average salary | $57,625 | $47,133 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $84,000 | Between $29,000 And $74,000 |
| Highest paying City | Fremont, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | CVR Energy | Halliburton |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | - |
There are a few differences between a maintenance planner and a maintenance engineer in terms of educational background:
| Maintenance Planner | Maintenance Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Business | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred | - |
Here are the differences between maintenance planners' and maintenance engineers' demographics:
| Maintenance Planner | Maintenance Engineer | |
| Average age | 49 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.6% Female, 14.4% | Male, 94.6% Female, 5.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 2.1% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.9% Asian, 4.4% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 2% |