Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between manufacturing technicians and fabrication 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 $35,582 average annual salary of a fabrication technician.
The top three skills for a manufacturing technician include GMP, continuous improvement and hand tools. The most important skills for a fabrication technician are hand tools, math, and customer service.
| Manufacturing Technician | Fabrication Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $37,853 | $35,582 |
| Hourly rate | $18.20 | $17.11 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 76,490 | 109,734 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Associate Degree, 29% |
| Average age | 45 | 44 |
| 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.
Fabrication technicians are skilled employees who are responsible for using specialized equipment to assemble components for a variety of products or finished products. These technicians are required to perform inspections on the tools and mechanical equipment as well as provide maintenance and repair. They are required to complete the assembly of equipment by following the engineering drawings and specifications. Fabrication technicians must also follow established safety procedures when maintaining work areas and troubleshooting problems with machinery.
Manufacturing technicians and fabrication technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manufacturing Technician | Fabrication Technician | |
| Average salary | $37,853 | $35,582 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $52,000 | Between $26,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | Framingham, MA | San Jose, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | North Dakota |
| Best paying company | Qorvo | Westinghouse Appliances Australia |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a manufacturing technician and a fabrication technician in terms of educational background:
| Manufacturing Technician | Fabrication Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Associate Degree, 29% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | - |
Here are the differences between manufacturing technicians' and fabrication technicians' demographics:
| Manufacturing Technician | Fabrication Technician | |
| Average age | 45 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 74.4% Female, 25.6% | Male, 85.1% Female, 14.9% |
| 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, 12.9% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 9.6% White, 55.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 5% |