How To Become A Baler Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a baler operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a baler operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $15.68 an hour? That's $32,608 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 7% and produce 56,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreBaler OperatorUS Average

Salary

2.5

Avg. Salary $32,608

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.3

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.79%

Asian 2.31%

Black or African American 16.34%

Hispanic or Latino 18.18%

Unknown 4.30%

White 58.08%

Gender

female 7.60%

male 92.40%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress level

8.3

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.8

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a baler operator

Explore baler operator education requirements

Most common baler operator degrees

High School Diploma

57.9 %

Diploma

13.4 %

Associate

10.7 %

Start to develop specific baler operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Perform Routine Maintenance	26.25%
Routine Maintenance	17.06%
Rail Cars	14.27%
Baling	10.14%
Pallets	8.38%

Complete relevant baler operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New baler operators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a baler operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real baler operator resumes.

Research baler operator duties and responsibilities

Use automate systems and RF units to pull, put away and load customer product, in addition to managing inventory
Operate forklift to load and unload pallets, run baler to compact the recycled cardboard and stack the bales.
Hand stack pallets, customize based on needs and requirements of customer.
Perform specialized production line and quality control duties in a professional production environment specializing in plastic extrusion.

Prepare your baler operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your baler operator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a baler operator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable baler operator resume templates

Build a professional baler operator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your baler operator resume.