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The differences between shop technicians and shop leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a shop technician and a shop lead. Additionally, a shop lead has an average salary of $48,007, which is higher than the $36,798 average annual salary of a shop technician.
The top three skills for a shop technician include preventative maintenance, routine maintenance and diagnosis. The most important skills for a shop lead are customer service, safety procedures, and math.
| Shop Technician | Shop Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $36,798 | $48,007 |
| Hourly rate | $17.69 | $23.08 |
| Growth rate | 4% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 150,349 | 16,766 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 30% | High School Diploma, 33% |
| Average age | 42 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
A shop lead is responsible for overseeing their crew. They ensure the safety of their crew by giving regular training. They also ensure the quality and quantity of the work put out by the shop. They manage the daily work of their shop, assist machinists, report to shop managers, and handle customer service.
Shop technicians and shop leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Shop Technician | Shop Lead | |
| Average salary | $36,798 | $48,007 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $53,000 | Between $28,000 And $81,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Leandro, CA | Chicago, IL |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Los Alamos National Laboratory | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Energy | - |
There are a few differences between a shop technician and a shop lead in terms of educational background:
| Shop Technician | Shop Lead | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 30% | High School Diploma, 33% |
| Most common major | Automotive Technology | Business |
| Most common college | - | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between shop technicians' and shop leads' demographics:
| Shop Technician | Shop Lead | |
| Average age | 42 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.9% Female, 8.1% | Male, 87.3% Female, 12.7% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 5.1% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 6% |