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The differences between plant electricians and electricians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a plant electrician and an electrician. Additionally, a plant electrician has an average salary of $62,953, which is higher than the $48,850 average annual salary of an electrician.
The top three skills for a plant electrician include PLC, electrical equipment and hand tools. The most important skills for an electrician are hand tools, electrical equipment, and run conduit.
Plant electricians are electrical professionals who are responsible for maintaining equipment used in production or to generate electricity in industrial plants and factories. These electricians are required to maintain electrical equipment while providing routine repairs on their electrical components to ensure proper performance. They must inspect the electrical systems and equipment throughout the plant to identify hazards and defects. Plant electricians must also implement maintenance programs that are used to test equipment and diagnose an isolated system malfunction.
An electrician is a skilled tradesman in charge of wirings and systems which provide electric power to a facility. They are trained to design, install, maintain, and troubleshoot electrical wiring systems. There are four basic types of an electrician - residential wiremen, inside wiremen, telecommunications electrician, and outside linemen. Some work on a standard 40-hour week shift while others are on-call duty. In some cases, traveling is also a vital key to their role where they would work for a few days before moving to another location.
Plant electricians and electricians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Plant Electrician | Electrician | |
| Average salary | $62,953 | $48,850 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $83,000 | Between $32,000 And $73,000 |
| Highest paying City | Newark, NJ | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Vermont | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Ford Motor | PBF Energy |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a plant electrician and an electrician in terms of educational background:
| Plant Electrician | Electrician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 46% | High School Diploma, 32% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering Technology | Electrical Engineering Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between plant electricians' and electricians' demographics:
| Plant Electrician | Electrician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 97.9% Female, 2.1% | Male, 95.6% Female, 4.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 2.3% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 2.2% White, 63.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 3% | 3% |