Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between utility technicians and plant 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 a plant technician. Additionally, a plant technician has an average salary of $46,164, 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 a plant technician are preventive maintenance, ladders, and data collection.
| Utility Technician | Plant Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $37,073 | $46,164 |
| Hourly rate | $17.82 | $22.19 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 121,895 | 146,543 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 32% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| 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.
A plant technician is in charge of overseeing plant operations, ensuring everything runs smoothly and efficiently. Their responsibilities include installing and upgrading machines and equipment, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of existing systems, implementing solutions to vulnerable or problem areas, and developing strategies to optimize plant operations. They must also perform regular maintenance checks, conducting corrective measures and adjustments as needed. Furthermore, a plant technician must provide technical support to employees, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Utility technicians and plant technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Utility Technician | Plant Technician | |
| Average salary | $37,073 | $46,164 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $49,000 | Between $31,000 And $67,000 |
| Highest paying City | Milwaukee, WI | Kent, WA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Anheuser-Busch | BP America Inc |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Utilities |
There are a few differences between a utility technician and a plant technician in terms of educational background:
| Utility Technician | Plant Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 32% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between utility technicians' and plant technicians' demographics:
| Utility Technician | Plant Technician | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.8% Female, 14.2% | Male, 75.4% Female, 24.6% |
| 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, 11.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 4.6% White, 60.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 2% |