Assembly line associate vs line operator

The differences between assembly line associates and line operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a line operator has an average salary of $34,520, which is higher than the $29,465 average annual salary of an assembly line associate.

The top three skills for an assembly line associate include safety standards, production process and safety policies. The most important skills for a line operator are preventative maintenance, PPE, and basic math.

Assembly line associate vs line operator overview

	Assembly Line Associate	Line Operator
Yearly salary	$29,465	$34,520
Hourly rate	$14.17	$16.60
Growth rate	-	7%
Number of jobs	51,772	137,127
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 51%	High School Diploma, 49%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	-	-

Assembly line associate vs line operator salary

Assembly line associates and line operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Assembly Line Associate	Line Operator
Average salary	$29,465	$34,520
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $35,000	Between $27,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	Saint Paul, MN	Grand Forks, ND
Highest paying state	Alaska	North Dakota
Best paying company	Medline	BD
Best paying industry	Technology	Manufacturing

Differences between assembly line associate and line operator education

There are a few differences between an assembly line associate and a line operator in terms of educational background:

	Assembly Line Associate	Line Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 51%	High School Diploma, 49%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Assembly line associate vs line operator demographics

Here are the differences between assembly line associates' and line operators' demographics:

	Assembly Line Associate	Line Operator
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 64.2% Female, 35.8%	Male, 67.6% Female, 32.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 14.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 13.5% Asian, 9.5% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 7.0% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between assembly line associate and line operator duties and responsibilities

Assembly line associate example responsibilities.

Inventory and manage all stock products within a retail warehousing environment utilizing RF scanner and barcode readers to document material.
Gain understanding of the components of a Honda engine.
Inventory and manage all stock products within a retail warehousing environment utilizing RF scanner and barcode readers to document material.
Assemble components into fixtures using microscope and tweezers in a microelectronics company

Line operator example responsibilities.

Follow safety procedures, including but not limit to, wearing proper PPE, lock-out/tag-out, and HAZMAT.
Weld various models of Honda car seats.
Operate foam line for assembly of Toyota Tacoma car seats.
Work the assembly line building car door frames for Chrysler.
Work in high volume production setting, sewing seat covers for Toyota vehicles.
Wear all PPE while manually draining and cleaning of all dip tanks and stations after shift or when production quality lessen.

Assembly line associate vs line operator skills

Common assembly line associate skills

Safety Standards, 26%
Production Process, 19%
Safety Policies, 11%
Quality Checks, 8%
Honda, 4%
Quality Standards, 4%

Common line operator skills

Preventative Maintenance, 12%
PPE, 9%
Basic Math, 9%
Extrusion, 8%
Quality Checks, 7%
Assembly Line, 5%

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Production and Manufacturing Industry
Assembly Line Associate
Assembly Line Associate vs Line Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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