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The differences between maintenance workers 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 worker and a maintenance engineer. Additionally, a maintenance engineer has an average salary of $47,133, 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 maintenance engineer are plumbing, HVAC, and guest rooms.
| Maintenance Worker | Maintenance Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $36,132 | $47,133 |
| Hourly rate | $17.37 | $22.66 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 115,130 | 97,957 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| 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 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 workers and maintenance engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Maintenance Worker | Maintenance Engineer | |
| Average salary | $36,132 | $47,133 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $51,000 | Between $29,000 And $74,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Rosa, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | ABB | Halliburton |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | - |
There are a few differences between a maintenance worker and a maintenance engineer in terms of educational background:
| Maintenance Worker | Maintenance Engineer | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Business | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between maintenance workers' and maintenance engineers' demographics:
| Maintenance Worker | Maintenance Engineer | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.0% Female, 12.0% | Male, 94.6% Female, 5.4% |
| 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, 4.4% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 2% |