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The differences between manufacturing technicians and assembly technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a manufacturing technician has an average salary of $37,853, which is higher than the $34,952 average annual salary of an assembly technician.
The top three skills for a manufacturing technician include GMP, continuous improvement and hand tools. The most important skills for an assembly technician are customer service, hand tools, and lean manufacturing.
| Manufacturing Technician | Assembly Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $37,853 | $34,952 |
| Hourly rate | $18.20 | $16.80 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 76,490 | 52,385 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | High School Diploma, 34% |
| Average age | 45 | 49 |
| Years of experience | 2 | - |
A manufacturing technician, or often called a manufacturing production technician, is an individual who is responsible for setting and testing manufacturing machinery or equipment. To set up the machines, manufacturing technicians will use electronic, electrical, mechanical, or computer technologies. They are responsible for gathering data from their part in the manufacturing process and reporting it to their production or manufacturing engineers. When handling machines or equipment, manufacturing technicians must strictly follow their health and safety procedures and protocols.
Assembly technicians are responsible for constructing small parts and components to create a new product according to the specifications of a client or a supervisor. An assembly technician performs diagnostic tests on the assembled product to ensure efficiency and conduct adjustments as needed. An assembly technician also provides manual instructional guides for product use and troubleshooting procedures. Assembly technicians must be knowledgeable about the technology and mechanical industry, as well as have the ability to analyze designs as a guide for creating high-quality products.
Manufacturing technicians and assembly technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manufacturing Technician | Assembly Technician | |
| Average salary | $37,853 | $34,952 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $52,000 | Between $28,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | Framingham, MA | Sunnyvale, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Washington |
| Best paying company | Qorvo | Jefferson Lab |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a manufacturing technician and an assembly technician in terms of educational background:
| Manufacturing Technician | Assembly Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | High School Diploma, 34% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | - |
Here are the differences between manufacturing technicians' and assembly technicians' demographics:
| Manufacturing Technician | Assembly Technician | |
| Average age | 45 | 49 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 74.4% Female, 25.6% | Male, 75.7% Female, 24.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 8.9% White, 59.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 2.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 9.8% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |