Tracer vs outside plant technician

The differences between tracers and outside plant technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a tracer has an average salary of $43,913, which is higher than the $42,451 average annual salary of an outside plant technician.

The top three skills for a tracer include government agencies, customer service and patient accounts. The most important skills for an outside plant technician are ladders, outside plant, and CDL.

Tracer vs outside plant technician overview

	Tracer	Outside Plant Technician
Yearly salary	$43,913	$42,451
Hourly rate	$21.11	$20.41
Growth rate	8%	8%
Number of jobs	4,824	67,234
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Associate Degree, 38%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	-	-

Tracer vs outside plant technician salary

Tracers and outside plant technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Tracer	Outside Plant Technician
Average salary	$43,913	$42,451
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $66,000	Between $29,000 And $61,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	Chicago Public Schools	-
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	-

Differences between tracer and outside plant technician education

There are a few differences between a tracer and an outside plant technician in terms of educational background:

	Tracer	Outside Plant Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Associate Degree, 38%
Most common major	Business	Electrical Engineering
Most common college	New York University	Stanford University

Tracer vs outside plant technician demographics

Here are the differences between tracers' and outside plant technicians' demographics:

	Tracer	Outside Plant Technician
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 36.3% Female, 63.7%	Male, 96.8% Female, 3.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 6.9% White, 57.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 14.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 6.2% White, 56.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between tracer and outside plant technician duties and responsibilities

Tracer example responsibilities.

Manage and maintain an internal database system to generate reports and produce accurate account information for patients and insurance companies.
Install cable systems along with internet and VoIp phone services
Install cable TV services, high speed Internet and VOIP services.
Work with RDN, calling agents on updates, TLO and Accurint, court records calling maker.
Skip tracing - locate debtors using various search methods such as Experian, IRB, MySpace, Facebook, etc.
Install and set up FLIR, PTZ, and CCTV cameras.

Outside plant technician example responsibilities.

Manage and administer documentation of OSP fiber optic plant in support of customer projects, network planning, and municipality requirements.
Move and/or lift items such as ladders, tools, air tanks, cable reels, and test equipment
Install residential and business telephone lines, including premise CAT5 wiring and jack work.
Perform construction work such as digging holes, installing inner duct in various types of conduit systems and open excavations.
Organize projects that include open excavations, placing cables, air pipes and inner duct in various types of conduit systems.
Install and repair T1 and T3 systems.

Tracer vs outside plant technician skills

Common tracer skills

Government Agencies, 39%
Customer Service, 20%
Patient Accounts, 18%
Outbound Calls, 13%
Research Studies, 10%

Common outside plant technician skills

Ladders, 10%
Outside Plant, 10%
CDL, 8%
Test Equipment, 6%
Safety Procedures, 6%
OSHA, 5%

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Tracer vs Outside Plant Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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