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The differences between tool technicians and maintenance technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a tool technician, becoming a maintenance technician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a maintenance technician has an average salary of $43,293, which is higher than the $42,908 average annual salary of a tool technician.
The top three skills for a tool technician include grinders, hand tools and CNC. The most important skills for a maintenance technician are plumbing, HVAC, and hand tools.
| Tool Technician | Maintenance Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $42,908 | $43,293 |
| Hourly rate | $20.63 | $20.81 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 78,258 | 178,450 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.25 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 33% | High School Diploma, 34% |
| Average age | 54 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
Tool technicians are skilled professionals who are responsible for repairing a variety of pneumatic and hand tools as well as disassemble defective electrical equipment in a manufacturing firm using these hand tools. These technicians are required to coordinate with other areas of the company to schedule and perform preventive maintenance duties. They must provide support for CNC operators by setting up the caliper and micrometer of all the CNC machines. Tool technicians must also assist coworkers in ordering materials and purchasing machine parts.
Maintenance technicians are technicians who specialize in the preservation of office facilities. They have in-depth knowledge of how various office equipment or fixtures work so that they can immediately identify how to repair them in case of breakdowns. Maintenance technicians perform diagnostics and routine maintenance activities to ensure that everything in the office is running well. They immediately repair problems in fixtures or equipment to avoid any further damages or safety concerns. They should be familiar with occupational safety and health standards to ensure that the office is a safe place to work.
Tool technicians and maintenance technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Tool Technician | Maintenance Technician | |
| Average salary | $42,908 | $43,293 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $61,000 | Between $31,000 And $59,000 |
| Highest paying City | Fort Wayne, IN | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | Indiana | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Rivian | Anheuser-Busch |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a tool technician and a maintenance technician in terms of educational background:
| Tool Technician | Maintenance Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 33% | High School Diploma, 34% |
| Most common major | Business | Electrical Engineering Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between tool technicians' and maintenance technicians' demographics:
| Tool Technician | Maintenance Technician | |
| Average age | 54 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.0% Female, 8.0% | Male, 95.7% Female, 4.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 2.4% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 6.5% Asian, 2.7% White, 84.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 4.6% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 3% | 2% |