Small parts assembler vs assembly technician

The differences between small parts assemblers and assembly technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an assembly technician has an average salary of $34,952, which is higher than the $30,660 average annual salary of a small parts assembler.

The top three skills for a small parts assembler include hand tools, assembly tasks and dexterity. The most important skills for an assembly technician are customer service, hand tools, and lean manufacturing.

Small parts assembler vs assembly technician overview

	Small Parts Assembler	Assembly Technician
Yearly salary	$30,660	$34,952
Hourly rate	$14.74	$16.80
Growth rate	-	2%
Number of jobs	40,912	52,385
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 41%	High School Diploma, 34%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	-	-

Small parts assembler vs assembly technician salary

Small parts assemblers and assembly technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Small Parts Assembler	Assembly Technician
Average salary	$30,660	$34,952
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $38,000	Between $28,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	New Bedford, MA	Sunnyvale, CA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Washington
Best paying company	Astronics	Jefferson Lab
Best paying industry	Energy	Finance

Differences between small parts assembler and assembly technician education

There are a few differences between a small parts assembler and an assembly technician in terms of educational background:

	Small Parts Assembler	Assembly Technician
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 41%	High School Diploma, 34%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Small parts assembler vs assembly technician demographics

Here are the differences between small parts assemblers' and assembly technicians' demographics:

	Small Parts Assembler	Assembly Technician
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 55.6% Female, 44.4%	Male, 75.7% Female, 24.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 2.5% Hispanic or Latino, 10.1% Asian, 9.5% White, 68.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 2.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 9.8% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between small parts assembler and assembly technician duties and responsibilities

Small parts assembler example responsibilities.

Excel in interpreting detail aligning units using jigs and fixtures, and inspecting complete components to ensure conformance to specifications.
Excel in interpreting detail aligning units using jigs and fixtures, and inspecting complete components to ensure conformance to specifications.

Assembly technician example responsibilities.

Manage the flow of each pallet to ensure the group is able to produce the quality product.
Perform in microscope SMT hand soldering to IPC standards and rework BTC components.
Use proper electrical discharge PPE (personal protection equipment) in ESD zone properly to prevent unexpect incident or damage device.
Perform electro-mechanical tasks using a wide range of electronic equipment.
Install switches, gfi's.
Rework (complex wiring) to CCA's according to ECO's.

Small parts assembler vs assembly technician skills

Common small parts assembler skills

Hand Tools, 41%
Assembly Tasks, 19%
Dexterity, 18%
Circuit Boards, 4%
Quality Checks, 4%
Assembly Problems, 4%

Common assembly technician skills

Customer Service, 26%
Hand Tools, 12%
Lean Manufacturing, 4%
Safety Procedures, 4%
Basic Math, 3%
Sub Assemblies, 3%

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Production and Manufacturing Industry
Small Parts Assembler
Small Parts Assembler vs Assembly Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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