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The differences between service technicians and shop 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 shop technician takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a service technician has an average salary of $40,379, which is higher than the $36,798 average annual salary of a shop technician.
The top three skills for a service technician include plumbing, customer service and preventative maintenance. The most important skills for a shop technician are preventative maintenance, routine maintenance, and diagnosis.
| Service Technician | Shop Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $40,379 | $36,798 |
| Hourly rate | $19.41 | $17.69 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 254,533 | 150,349 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 29% | High School Diploma, 30% |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 2 |
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.
Shop Technicians are skilled workers assigned to a retail store. Their main activities depend on the nature of the business their company is in. Usually, Shop Technicians work with machines in the shop. They conduct repair and maintenance work for machines that have long been in the shop. They are also in charge of installing and building new machines as well. Shop Technicians are assigned to manage records of such machines or s other mechanical items in the store. This is part of the administrative activities they may do for the shop.
Service technicians and shop technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Service Technician | Shop Technician | |
| Average salary | $40,379 | $36,798 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $57,000 | Between $25,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | San Leandro, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Alaska |
| Best paying company | IBM | Los Alamos National Laboratory |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Energy |
There are a few differences between a service technician and a shop technician in terms of educational background:
| Service Technician | Shop Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 29% | High School Diploma, 30% |
| Most common major | Business | Automotive Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between service technicians' and shop technicians' demographics:
| Service Technician | Shop Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.2% Female, 10.8% | Male, 91.9% Female, 8.1% |
| 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, 8.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 2.4% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 1% | 2% |