Cooler operator vs mill operator

The differences between cooler operators and mill operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a cooler operator and a mill operator. Additionally, a cooler operator has an average salary of $41,007, which is higher than the $39,045 average annual salary of a mill operator.

The top three skills for a cooler operator include pallets, production floor and GMP. The most important skills for a mill operator are CNC, OSHA, and math.

Cooler operator vs mill operator overview

	Cooler Operator	Mill Operator
Yearly salary	$41,007	$39,045
Hourly rate	$19.71	$18.77
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	42,303	64,574
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 59%	High School Diploma, 49%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	4	4

Cooler operator vs mill operator salary

Cooler operators and mill operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cooler Operator	Mill Operator
Average salary	$41,007	$39,045
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $50,000	Between $31,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	-	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Freeport-McMoRan
Best paying industry	-	Construction

Differences between cooler operator and mill operator education

There are a few differences between a cooler operator and a mill operator in terms of educational background:

	Cooler Operator	Mill Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 59%	High School Diploma, 49%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Cooler operator vs mill operator demographics

Here are the differences between cooler operators' and mill operators' demographics:

	Cooler Operator	Mill Operator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 88.0% Female, 12.0%	Male, 92.5% Female, 7.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 15.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.3% Asian, 2.3% White, 57.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 14.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 2.4% White, 62.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between cooler operator and mill operator duties and responsibilities

Cooler operator example responsibilities.

Use automate systems and RF units to pull, put away and load customer product, in addition to managing inventory
Maintain soap spraying on tape alignment for lubrication of tape to shingles.
Maintain tape measurement alignment, nail setting, line, headlape and priming for the production fiber glass shingles.
Perform specialized production line and quality control duties in a professional production environment specializing in plastic extrusion.
Experience with hand scanners, electric sit down forklifts, electric power pallet jacks, and grinder.
Operate extractors and driers, or direct their operation.

Mill operator example responsibilities.

Manage the master calendar and schedule resources such as communication equipment, weapons, transportation and ammunition forecast and delivery.
Perform all work in respirator and other proper PPE.
Skil at training other machinists on CNC machines in this shop.
Assemble parts, operate CNC lathe and mills and adjust off sets.
Perform QC testing on products, filing paperwork per company and ISO standards.
Rebuild Rotex sifters, fabricate and replace screens, replace shoes and anvils in impact mills.

Cooler operator vs mill operator skills

Common cooler operator skills

Pallets, 60%
Production Floor, 26%
GMP, 14%

Common mill operator skills

CNC, 7%
OSHA, 7%
Math, 6%
Calipers, 6%
Hand Tools, 5%
Safety Rules, 5%

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Transportation Industry
Cooler Operator
Cooler Operator vs Mill Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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