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The differences between structured cabling technicians and cable technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a cable technician has an average salary of $47,289, which is higher than the $37,985 average annual salary of a structured cabling technician.
The top three skills for a structured cabling technician include structured cabling, fiber optic and hand tools. The most important skills for a cable technician are broadband, customer service, and ladders.
| Structured Cabling Technician | Cable Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $37,985 | $47,289 |
| Hourly rate | $18.26 | $22.74 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 89,739 | 120,249 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 31% | High School Diploma, 39% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A structured cabling technician builds infrastructure for local area networks, wide area networks, and cable television networks. They visit clients' homes or offices to install cabling that supports infrastructure. They often work overtime, and they may be required to work in hazardous conditions.
A cable technician is responsible for managing cable systems, installing cable equipment, upgrading network systems, and troubleshooting cable issues. Cable technicians' duties include replacing defective cabling, running diagnostic tests on newly-installed cable systems, inspecting cable towers and ground cables, providing cable instructions to the customer, responding to customer's cable inquiries and requests, and ensuring the safety of cable structures. A cable technician must have a strong understanding of electrical systems and cable technology, following the established procedures and environmental policies.
Structured cabling technicians and cable technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Structured Cabling Technician | Cable Technician | |
| Average salary | $37,985 | $47,289 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $58,000 | Between $34,000 And $64,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Jackson, NJ |
| Highest paying state | - | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | - | Baker Hughes |
| Best paying industry | - | Media |
There are a few differences between a structured cabling technician and a cable technician in terms of educational background:
| Structured Cabling Technician | Cable Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 31% | High School Diploma, 39% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon | New York University |
Here are the differences between structured cabling technicians' and cable technicians' demographics:
| Structured Cabling Technician | Cable Technician | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.4% Female, 5.6% | Male, 95.0% Female, 5.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 6.3% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 13.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 6.2% White, 57.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |