Cutter Operator Overview
Cutter Operator Careers
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a cutter operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $13.88 an hour? That's $28,865 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 32,600 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does a Cutter Operator Do
There are certain skills that many cutter operators have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed communication skills, coordination and mechanical skills.
When it comes to the most important skills required to be a cutter operator, we found that a lot of resumes listed 13.0% of cutter operators included quality checks, while 7.6% of resumes included troubleshoot, and 7.5% of resumes included quality standards. Hard skills like these are helpful to have when it comes to performing essential job responsibilities.
When it comes to searching for a job, many search for a key term or phrase. Instead, it might be more helpful to search by industry, as you might be missing jobs that you never thought about in industries that you didn't even think offered positions related to the cutter operator job title. But what industry to start with? Most cutter operators actually find jobs in the manufacturing and retail industries.
How To Become a Cutter Operator
If you're interested in becoming a cutter operator, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 8.6% of cutter operators have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 0.5% of cutter operators have master's degrees. Even though some cutter operators have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a cutter operator. When we researched the most common majors for a cutter operator, we found that they most commonly earn high school diploma degrees or associate degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on cutter operator resumes include diploma degrees or bachelor's degree degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a cutter operator. In fact, many cutter operator jobs require experience in a role such as machine operator. Meanwhile, many cutter operators also have previous career experience in roles such as cashier or press operator.
What is the right job for my career path?
Tell us your goals and we'll match you with the right jobs to get there.
Cutter Operator Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a cutter operator can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as machine operator, progress to a title such as technician and then eventually end up with the title operations manager.
What is the right job for my career path?
Tell us your goals and we'll match you with the rights job to get there.
Average Salary for a Cutter Operator
Best Paying Cities
Recently Added Salaries
Job TitleCompany  | Company | Start Date | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
Randstad Cutter Operator Cutter Operator | Randstad Randstad | 12/22/2020 12/22/2020 | $25,04412/22/2020 $25,044 |
Simplot Line 1 Cutter Operator (Crew D) Grand Forks FG Line 1 Cutter Operator (Crew D) Grand Forks FG | Simplot Simplot | 12/18/2020 12/18/2020 | $41,07212/18/2020 $41,072 |
J.R. Simplot Company Line 1 Cutter Operator (Crew D) Grand Forks FG Line 1 Cutter Operator (Crew D) Grand Forks FG | J.R. Simplot Company J.R. Simplot Company | 12/16/2020 12/16/2020 | $41,07212/16/2020 $41,072 |
Graphic Packaging Holding Co Cutter Operator Cutter Operator | Graphic Packaging Holding Co Graphic Packaging Holding Co | 12/11/2020 12/11/2020 | $40,84312/11/2020 $40,843 |
Total Staffing Solutions Polar Cutter Operator Polar Cutter Operator | Total Staffing Solutions Total Staffing Solutions | 11/24/2020 11/24/2020 | $33,39211/24/2020 $33,392 |
Calculate your salary
Use Zippia's Salary Calculator to see how your pay matches up.
Top Skills For a Cutter Operator
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 13.0% of cutter operators listed quality checks on their resume, but soft skills such as communication skills and coordination are important as well.
- Quality Checks, 13.0%
- Troubleshoot, 7.6%
- Quality Standards, 7.5%
- Pallet Jack, 7.2%
- Company Policies, 6.1%
- Other Skills, 58.6% See All Cutter Operator Skills
Best States For a Cutter Operator
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a cutter operator. The best states for people in this position are North Dakota, Washington, Alaska, and Iowa. Cutter operators make the most in North Dakota with an average salary of $38,074. Whereas in Washington and Alaska, they would average $37,443 and $37,326, respectively. While cutter operators would only make an average of $36,543 in Iowa, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Minnesota
$36,340
Avg. Salary
2. Iowa
$36,543
Avg. Salary
3. Alaska
$37,326
Avg. Salary
How Do Cutter Operator Rate Their Jobs?
Top Cutter Operator Employers
Cutter Operator Videos
