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The differences between service technicians and preventive maintenance technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a service technician, becoming a preventive maintenance technician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a preventive maintenance technician has an average salary of $40,935, which is higher than the $40,379 average annual salary of a service technician.
The top three skills for a service technician include plumbing, customer service and preventative maintenance. The most important skills for a preventive maintenance technician are customer service, hand tools, and HVAC.
| Service Technician | Preventive Maintenance Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $40,379 | $40,935 |
| Hourly rate | $19.41 | $19.68 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 254,533 | 170,517 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 29% | Associate Degree, 31% |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
Service technicians are assigned in the field to address the concerns of their clients. Service technicians are responsible for the installation, maintenance, or repair of different units or items related to their company's products or services. They should be familiar with their company's products so that they can properly install, maintain, or repair them. They conduct diagnostics and analysis to assess the condition of the unit they are servicing and properly address problems. They also do routine maintenance check-ups. Service technicians are expected to be trustworthy, have good analytical skills, and have good decision-making skills.
A preventive maintenance technician performs routine facility maintenance to prevent possible mechanical failure. The technicians change worn out machine parts before they can cause mechanical damage. They keep the facility operating. It is their job to conduct quality assessments, maintain inventory, and schedule repairs. Also, they see to it that machines are up and running at all times. They are expected to be equipped with skills in customer service, problem-solving, reading comprehension, business operation, and mechanical aptitude.
Service technicians and preventive maintenance technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Service Technician | Preventive Maintenance Technician | |
| Average salary | $40,379 | $40,935 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $57,000 | Between $31,000 And $52,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | Owatonna, MN |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Alaska |
| Best paying company | IBM | Kiewit |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a service technician and a preventive maintenance technician in terms of educational background:
| Service Technician | Preventive Maintenance Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 29% | Associate Degree, 31% |
| Most common major | Business | Automotive Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between service technicians' and preventive maintenance technicians' demographics:
| Service Technician | Preventive Maintenance Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.2% Female, 10.8% | Male, 91.8% Female, 8.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.1% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 1.7% White, 72.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 4.6% White, 59.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 1% | 2% |