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The differences between utility technicians and preventive 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 a preventive maintenance technician. Additionally, a preventive maintenance technician has an average salary of $40,935, 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 preventive maintenance technician are customer service, hand tools, and HVAC.
| Utility Technician | Preventive Maintenance Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $37,073 | $40,935 |
| Hourly rate | $17.82 | $19.68 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 121,895 | 170,517 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 32% | Associate Degree, 31% |
| 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 preventive maintenance technician performs routine facility maintenance to prevent possible mechanical failure. The technicians change worn out machine parts before they can cause mechanical damage. They keep the facility operating. It is their job to conduct quality assessments, maintain inventory, and schedule repairs. Also, they see to it that machines are up and running at all times. They are expected to be equipped with skills in customer service, problem-solving, reading comprehension, business operation, and mechanical aptitude.
Utility technicians and preventive maintenance technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Utility Technician | Preventive Maintenance Technician | |
| Average salary | $37,073 | $40,935 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $49,000 | Between $31,000 And $52,000 |
| Highest paying City | Milwaukee, WI | Owatonna, MN |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Anheuser-Busch | Kiewit |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a utility technician and a preventive maintenance technician in terms of educational background:
| Utility Technician | Preventive Maintenance Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 32% | Associate Degree, 31% |
| Most common major | Business | Automotive Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between utility technicians' and preventive maintenance technicians' demographics:
| Utility Technician | Preventive Maintenance Technician | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.8% Female, 14.2% | Male, 91.8% Female, 8.2% |
| 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, 11.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 4.6% White, 59.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 2% |