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Maintenance worker vs maintenance technician

The differences between maintenance workers and maintenance technicians 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 technician. Additionally, a maintenance technician has an average salary of $43,293, 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 technician are plumbing, HVAC, and hand tools.

Maintenance worker vs maintenance technician overview

Maintenance WorkerMaintenance Technician
Yearly salary$36,132$43,293
Hourly rate$17.37$20.81
Growth rate5%5%
Number of jobs115,130178,450
Job satisfaction-4.25
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 48%High School Diploma, 34%
Average age4747
Years of experience44

What does a maintenance worker do?

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.

What does a maintenance technician do?

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.

Maintenance worker vs maintenance technician salary

Maintenance workers and maintenance technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Maintenance WorkerMaintenance Technician
Average salary$36,132$43,293
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $51,000Between $31,000 And $59,000
Highest paying CitySanta Rosa, CARichmond, CA
Highest paying stateAlaskaRhode Island
Best paying companyABBAnheuser-Busch
Best paying industryManufacturingManufacturing

Differences between maintenance worker and maintenance technician education

There are a few differences between a maintenance worker and a maintenance technician in terms of educational background:

Maintenance WorkerMaintenance Technician
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 48%High School Diploma, 34%
Most common majorBusinessElectrical Engineering Technology
Most common college--

Maintenance worker vs maintenance technician demographics

Here are the differences between maintenance workers' and maintenance technicians' demographics:

Maintenance WorkerMaintenance Technician
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 88.0% Female, 12.0%Male, 95.7% Female, 4.3%
Race ratioBlack 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, 11.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 4.6% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage2%2%

Differences between maintenance worker and maintenance technician duties and responsibilities

Maintenance worker example responsibilities.

  • Clean windows or mirrors, using cleaners, and squeegees.
  • Promote and enforce safety procedures; render first aid and CPR.
  • Conduct electrical repairs to include replacing outlets, light switches, and fixture replacements.
  • Identify safety hazards; respond to accidents and emergencies and administers first aid and CPR.
  • Mow, edge, trim and rake fields; operate riding mowers, light duty vehicles, blowers, edger.
  • Respond to service requests including custodial work, preventative maintenance and assessment of roofing, HVAC, furnace and electrical systems.
  • Show more

Maintenance technician example responsibilities.

  • Install, repair and troubleshoot electrical wiring, including switches, outlets, lights, ballast.
  • Monitor and document all temperature readings on boilers, chillers, and dry vac systems beginning and mid shift.
  • Perform preventative maintenance checks and services on exhaust fans, boilers, chiller units, automatic transfer switches, and generators.
  • Repair electrical equipment; replace faulty electrical switches; repair refrigeration equipment.
  • Handle trouble-shooting and repair of mechanical systems refrigerant recovery and charging of HVAC systems.
  • Facilitate commercial plumbing, electrical, light HVAC, and carpentry repairs in a laboratory facility environment
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Maintenance worker vs maintenance technician skills

Common maintenance worker skills
  • Plumbing, 10%
  • GRASS, 8%
  • General Maintenance, 7%
  • Hand Tools, 5%
  • Building Maintenance, 5%
  • Mowing, 4%
Common maintenance technician skills
  • Plumbing, 10%
  • HVAC, 8%
  • Hand Tools, 7%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • Ladders, 4%
  • Electrical Systems, 4%

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