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The differences between substation technicians and relay technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a substation technician and a relay technician. Additionally, a relay technician has an average salary of $68,823, which is higher than the $39,335 average annual salary of a substation technician.
The top three skills for a substation technician include hand tools, circuit breakers and substation equipment. The most important skills for a relay technician are transformers, SCADA, and test equipment.
| Substation Technician | Relay Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $39,335 | $68,823 |
| Hourly rate | $18.91 | $33.09 |
| Growth rate | -1% | -1% |
| Number of jobs | 44,872 | 57,914 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 35% | Associate Degree, 43% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Substation technicians are electrical professionals who are responsible for performing routine maintenance and emergency repairs on electrical substations. These technicians must possess skills in using basic hand tools to install or replace defective parts while assembling or disassembling electrical equipment. They are required to make professional electrical wiring and other repairs to electrical systems so that they can ensure safety to residents and other employees. Substation technicians must also work outdoors to perform maintenance on high voltage equipment that is installed in high and confined areas.
Relay technicians do relay maintenance and repairs in electrical power stations. The technicians repair circuit breakers, test various components, calibrate generators, and replace wires. They make sure that electricity is routed through the electrical station towards commercial or residential areas at the right voltage. They read electrical schematics and diagrams to learn the issues and utilize the information for the installation of new components. Skills needed for this job include communication, attention to detail, and electrical knowledge.
Substation technicians and relay technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Substation Technician | Relay Technician | |
| Average salary | $39,335 | $68,823 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $53,000 | Between $39,000 And $120,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | - |
| Highest paying state | - | - |
| Best paying company | - | - |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a substation technician and a relay technician in terms of educational background:
| Substation Technician | Relay Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 35% | Associate Degree, 43% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering Technology | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | New Mexico State University | New Mexico State University |
Here are the differences between substation technicians' and relay technicians' demographics:
| Substation Technician | Relay Technician | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 97.3% Female, 2.7% | Male, 92.5% Female, 7.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.5% Unknown, 7.2% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 3.9% White, 69.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 5.5% Unknown, 7.2% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 3.9% White, 69.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 3% | 3% |