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The differences between utility technicians and equipment maintenance 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 utility technician and an equipment maintenance technician. Additionally, an equipment maintenance technician has an average salary of $45,945, which is higher than the $37,073 average annual salary of a utility technician.
The top three skills for a utility technician include customer service, ladders and safety procedures. The most important skills for an equipment maintenance technician are equipment maintenance, hand tools, and preventive maintenance.
| Utility Technician | Equipment Maintenance Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $37,073 | $45,945 |
| Hourly rate | $17.82 | $22.09 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 121,895 | 168,523 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 32% | Associate Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A utility technician performs various duties and responsibilities for an organization. These include inspecting utility infrastructure and reporting any deficiencies, auditing utility services and ensuring current standards are complied with, and updating and maintaining the utility information database. As a utility technician, you are responsible for coordinating projects and communicating results of finished projects, performing preventive maintenance, and diagnosing and troubleshooting equipment and system malfunctions. You are also responsible for conducting training and mentoring new utility technicians.
An equipment maintenance technician is responsible for ensuring the stability and efficiency of all production tools and equipment to support smooth business functions and operations. Equipment maintenance technicians conduct regular maintenance for optimization, repair defective components, and inspect equipment parts to identify possible upgrades and replacements. They also assemble equipment and machinery, requiring them to have excellent mechanical and critical-thinking skills to analyze schematics and blueprints accurately. An equipment maintenance technician must be highly communicative and organizational, especially in adhering to the highest safety standards and protocols during operations.
Utility technicians and equipment maintenance technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Utility Technician | Equipment Maintenance Technician | |
| Average salary | $37,073 | $45,945 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $49,000 | Between $35,000 And $60,000 |
| Highest paying City | Milwaukee, WI | Hayward, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Anheuser-Busch | Vicor |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a utility technician and an equipment maintenance technician in terms of educational background:
| Utility Technician | Equipment Maintenance Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 32% | Associate Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Business | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between utility technicians' and equipment maintenance technicians' demographics:
| Utility Technician | Equipment Maintenance Technician | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.8% Female, 14.2% | Male, 94.7% Female, 5.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 4.6% White, 59.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 22.2% Asian, 4.3% White, 58.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 2% |