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The differences between service technicians and refrigeration 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 refrigeration technician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a refrigeration technician has an average salary of $50,701, 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 refrigeration technician are preventative maintenance, hand tools, and ladders.
| Service Technician | Refrigeration Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $40,379 | $50,701 |
| Hourly rate | $19.41 | $24.38 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 254,533 | 131,115 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 29% | Associate Degree, 31% |
| Average age | 44 | 40 |
| 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 refrigeration technician is responsible for managing refrigeration and cooling systems for private households and commercial establishments. Refrigeration technicians install refrigeration components, requiring them to have an excellent analysis of blueprints and schematics. They inspect the system components and inform the household owners and management for preventive maintenance and troubleshooting for minor defects and inconsistencies, as well as calculating costs and materials for repairs. A refrigeration technician must be well-equipped with mechanical knowledge to identify failures and upgrade units as necessary.
Service technicians and refrigeration technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Service Technician | Refrigeration Technician | |
| Average salary | $40,379 | $50,701 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $57,000 | Between $33,000 And $75,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | Baltimore, MD |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Delaware |
| Best paying company | IBM | Micron Technology |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a service technician and a refrigeration technician in terms of educational background:
| Service Technician | Refrigeration Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 29% | Associate Degree, 31% |
| Most common major | Business | Heating And Air Conditioning |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between service technicians' and refrigeration technicians' demographics:
| Service Technician | Refrigeration Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.2% Female, 10.8% | Male, 97.2% Female, 2.8% |
| 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, 7.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 23.7% Asian, 2.5% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 1% | 2% |