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The differences between maintenance workers 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 worker and a general maintenance mechanic. Additionally, a general maintenance mechanic has an average salary of $37,631, which is higher than the $36,132 average annual salary of a maintenance worker.
The top three skills for a maintenance worker include plumbing, GRASS and general maintenance. The most important skills for a general maintenance mechanic are plumbing, HVAC, and customer service.
| Maintenance Worker | General Maintenance Mechanic | |
| Yearly salary | $36,132 | $37,631 |
| Hourly rate | $17.37 | $18.09 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 115,130 | 167,937 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 48% | High School Diploma, 46% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Maintenance workers are employees assigned to oversee the equipment, furniture, and fixtures in the office. They ensure that these items work correctly by doing routine check-ups, identifying any problems, anticipating challenges, sourcing for spare parts, and repairing problems. They also ensure that all the equipment, furniture, and fixtures are clean and always ready for use. They should be familiar with all the official instructions and procedures to ensure that they can adequately care for these items. They may also handle the installation of any new equipment.
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 workers and general maintenance mechanics have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Maintenance Worker | General Maintenance Mechanic | |
| Average salary | $36,132 | $37,631 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $51,000 | Between $27,000 And $51,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Rosa, CA | Santa Clara, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | ABB | Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a maintenance worker and a general maintenance mechanic in terms of educational background:
| Maintenance Worker | General Maintenance Mechanic | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 48% | High School Diploma, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between maintenance workers' and general maintenance mechanics' demographics:
| Maintenance Worker | General Maintenance Mechanic | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.0% Female, 12.0% | Male, 93.6% Female, 6.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 4.5% White, 59.7% 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% |