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The differences between plant maintenance supervisors and maintenance technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a plant maintenance supervisor and a maintenance technician. Additionally, a plant maintenance supervisor has an average salary of $48,355, which is higher than the $43,293 average annual salary of a maintenance technician.
The top three skills for a plant maintenance supervisor include safety procedures, production lines and USDA. The most important skills for a maintenance technician are plumbing, HVAC, and hand tools.
| Plant Maintenance Supervisor | Maintenance Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $48,355 | $43,293 |
| Hourly rate | $23.25 | $20.81 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 90,042 | 178,450 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.25 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 36% | High School Diploma, 34% |
| Average age | 49 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Plant maintenance supervisors must have a high school diploma or GED at minimum, though some employers will prefer candidates with an associate degree or bachelor's degree. This position requires preventative maintenance skills, knowledge of plant equipment, and understanding of safety procedures. Plant maintenance supervisors supervise a team and maintain the operations of plant systems.
Maintenance technicians are technicians who specialize in the preservation of office facilities. They have in-depth knowledge of how various office equipment or fixtures work so that they can immediately identify how to repair them in case of breakdowns. Maintenance technicians perform diagnostics and routine maintenance activities to ensure that everything in the office is running well. They immediately repair problems in fixtures or equipment to avoid any further damages or safety concerns. They should be familiar with occupational safety and health standards to ensure that the office is a safe place to work.
Plant maintenance supervisors and maintenance technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Plant Maintenance Supervisor | Maintenance Technician | |
| Average salary | $48,355 | $43,293 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $76,000 | Between $31,000 And $59,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Leandro, CA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Altice USA | Anheuser-Busch |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a plant maintenance supervisor and a maintenance technician in terms of educational background:
| Plant Maintenance Supervisor | Maintenance Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 36% | High School Diploma, 34% |
| Most common major | Business | Electrical Engineering Technology |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred | - |
Here are the differences between plant maintenance supervisors' and maintenance technicians' demographics:
| Plant Maintenance Supervisor | Maintenance Technician | |
| Average age | 49 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.1% Female, 5.9% | Male, 95.7% Female, 4.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 2.1% White, 68.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 4.6% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 2% |