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The differences between plant electricians and lead 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 a lead electrician. Additionally, a plant electrician has an average salary of $62,953, which is higher than the $56,709 average annual salary of a lead electrician.
The top three skills for a plant electrician include PLC, electrical equipment and hand tools. The most important skills for a lead electrician are electrical equipment, hand tools, and electrical systems.
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.
A Lead Electrician is the one who does the maintenance, inspection, and repair, and installation of needed equipment and other electric-related things. They are the one who supervises and monitors the job of the Electrician, plans and takes action to every happening and problem that they can encounter. They also do the planning of schedule and the process of conducting an equipment check-up and maintenance. Also, they need to be knowledgeable when it comes to repairing and installing needed material and equipment.
Plant electricians and lead electricians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Plant Electrician | Lead Electrician | |
| Average salary | $62,953 | $56,709 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $83,000 | Between $38,000 And $84,000 |
| Highest paying City | Newark, NJ | Berkeley, CA |
| Highest paying state | Vermont | Vermont |
| Best paying company | Ford Motor | Ameresco |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Energy |
There are a few differences between a plant electrician and a lead electrician in terms of educational background:
| Plant Electrician | Lead Electrician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 46% | Associate Degree, 33% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering Technology | Electrical Engineering Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between plant electricians' and lead electricians' demographics:
| Plant Electrician | Lead Electrician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 97.9% Female, 2.1% | Male, 97.4% Female, 2.6% |
| 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, 8.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 2.2% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 3% | 3% |