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The differences between maintenance technicians and electricians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a maintenance technician, becoming an electrician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an electrician has an average salary of $48,850, which is higher than the $43,293 average annual salary of a maintenance technician.
The top three skills for a maintenance technician include plumbing, HVAC and hand tools. The most important skills for an electrician are hand tools, electrical equipment, and run conduit.
| Maintenance Technician | Electrician | |
| Yearly salary | $43,293 | $48,850 |
| Hourly rate | $20.81 | $23.49 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 178,450 | 17,245 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.25 | 3.86 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 34% | High School Diploma, 32% |
| Average age | 47 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
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.
An electrician is a skilled tradesman in charge of wirings and systems which provide electric power to a facility. They are trained to design, install, maintain, and troubleshoot electrical wiring systems. There are four basic types of an electrician - residential wiremen, inside wiremen, telecommunications electrician, and outside linemen. Some work on a standard 40-hour week shift while others are on-call duty. In some cases, traveling is also a vital key to their role where they would work for a few days before moving to another location.
Maintenance technicians and electricians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Maintenance Technician | Electrician | |
| Average salary | $43,293 | $48,850 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $59,000 | Between $32,000 And $73,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Anheuser-Busch | PBF Energy |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a maintenance technician and an electrician in terms of educational background:
| Maintenance Technician | Electrician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 34% | High School Diploma, 32% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering Technology | Electrical Engineering Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between maintenance technicians' and electricians' demographics:
| Maintenance Technician | Electrician | |
| Average age | 47 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.7% Female, 4.3% | Male, 95.6% Female, 4.4% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 2.2% White, 63.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 3% |