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The differences between sanitation workers and utility workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a sanitation worker has an average salary of $33,159, which is higher than the $30,429 average annual salary of a utility worker.
The top three skills for a sanitation worker include cleanliness, pallet jack and food safety. The most important skills for a utility worker are customer service, safety procedures, and cleanliness.
| Sanitation Worker | Utility Worker | |
| Yearly salary | $33,159 | $30,429 |
| Hourly rate | $15.94 | $14.63 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 27,943 | 31,038 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 61% | High School Diploma, 50% |
| Average age | 49 | 47 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
A sanitation worker is employed to carry out valuable community tasks like garbage collection, hauling, and disposal. Sanitation workers take responsibility for the cleanliness and maintenance of the community. They ride or drive garbage trucks to collect trash from businesses and residents every day. They may work within companies as well following their respective corporate policies. One can become a sanitation worker if they have a college degree, high school degree, or any relevant job experience.
A utility worker is an entry-level position who is responsible for the cleanliness and maintenance of company premises and equipment. Utility workers take verbal and written instructions from managers and maintenance officers about the assigned work areas inside and outside of the property. Some employers may require their utility workers to have a commercial driver's license because they will be operating maintenance equipment and vehicles. Although a bachelor's degree is not required, utility workers must be in good physical condition and also be able to read written work orders.
Sanitation workers and utility workers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sanitation Worker | Utility Worker | |
| Average salary | $33,159 | $30,429 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $41,000 | Between $23,000 And $38,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Rosa, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Michigan State University | UGI |
| Best paying industry | Government | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a sanitation worker and a utility worker in terms of educational background:
| Sanitation Worker | Utility Worker | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 61% | High School Diploma, 50% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between sanitation workers' and utility workers' demographics:
| Sanitation Worker | Utility Worker | |
| Average age | 49 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 82.1% Female, 17.9% | Male, 83.1% Female, 16.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 4.9% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 4.7% White, 62.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 2% |