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The differences between mapping technicians and engineering technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an engineering technician has an average salary of $60,273, which is higher than the $39,106 average annual salary of a mapping technician.
The top three skills for a mapping technician include GIS, data collection and spatial data. The most important skills for an engineering technician are technical support, data collection, and test equipment.
| Mapping Technician | Engineering Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $39,106 | $60,273 |
| Hourly rate | $18.80 | $28.98 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 28,555 | 111,343 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 44 | 45 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
A mapping technician helps cartographers and photogrammetrists produce and update maps. Their work is done using computers and drones, so this position requires familiarity with mapping tools. Their responsibilities are collecting the information to complete maps and surveys, calculating map making information from collected notes, drawing topographical maps, verifying maps, and developing information databases that contain geographic and topographic data. They are also responsible for determining the scales, line sizes and colors to be used for the hard copies of computerized maps.
An Engineering Technician's duties vary according to the industry or company, whether mechanical, industrial, civil, agricultural, or more. However, most of the time, the responsibilities often revolve around resolving technical issues, working with and assisting Engineers in building, assembling, designing, gathering and testing data, and conducting more manual activities. Furthermore, Engineering Technicians can specialize and work in various fields after a certain training period, closely mentored or monitored by an engineer or someone with extensive expertise.
Mapping technicians and engineering technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mapping Technician | Engineering Technician | |
| Average salary | $39,106 | $60,273 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $63,000 | Between $37,000 And $96,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Rosa, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Washington |
| Best paying company | NV Energy | Western Digital |
| Best paying industry | Utilities | Technology |
There are a few differences between a mapping technician and an engineering technician in terms of educational background:
| Mapping Technician | Engineering Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Geography | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Purdue University |
Here are the differences between mapping technicians' and engineering technicians' demographics:
| Mapping Technician | Engineering Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.7% Female, 32.3% | Male, 85.9% Female, 14.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.5% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 3.2% White, 74.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 9.2% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 6% |