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The differences between wiring technicians and electricians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a wiring technician and an electrician. Additionally, an electrician has an average salary of $48,850, which is higher than the $38,136 average annual salary of a wiring technician.
The top three skills for a wiring technician include hand tools, safety procedures and control panels. The most important skills for an electrician are hand tools, electrical equipment, and run conduit.
| Wiring Technician | Electrician | |
| Yearly salary | $38,136 | $48,850 |
| Hourly rate | $18.33 | $23.49 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 62,667 | 17,245 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.86 |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 30% | High School Diploma, 32% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Wiring technicians install and conduct maintenance on wiring in electronic products. They are responsible for ensuring that machines are in working condition, and they continuously review products to ensure only good products are released to customers. They must have the ability to understand wiring schematics.
An electrician is a skilled tradesman in charge of wirings and systems which provide electric power to a facility. They are trained to design, install, maintain, and troubleshoot electrical wiring systems. There are four basic types of an electrician - residential wiremen, inside wiremen, telecommunications electrician, and outside linemen. Some work on a standard 40-hour week shift while others are on-call duty. In some cases, traveling is also a vital key to their role where they would work for a few days before moving to another location.
Wiring technicians and electricians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Wiring Technician | Electrician | |
| Average salary | $38,136 | $48,850 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $50,000 | Between $32,000 And $73,000 |
| Highest paying City | Everett, WA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Schneider Electric Industrial Services | PBF Energy |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a wiring technician and an electrician in terms of educational background:
| Wiring Technician | Electrician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 30% | High School Diploma, 32% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between wiring technicians' and electricians' demographics:
| Wiring Technician | Electrician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.9% Female, 13.1% | Male, 95.6% Female, 4.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 2.2% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 2.2% White, 63.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 3% | 3% |