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The differences between distribution technicians and inventory specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an inventory specialist has an average salary of $35,752, which is higher than the $33,564 average annual salary of a distribution technician.
The top three skills for a distribution technician include patients, computer system and data entry. The most important skills for an inventory specialist are customer service, sales floor, and reservations.
| Distribution Technician | Inventory Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $33,564 | $35,752 |
| Hourly rate | $16.14 | $17.19 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 154,925 | 161,107 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 31% | High School Diploma, 33% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A distribution technician has a variety of duties and responsibilities, including collecting and delivering materials, receiving documents, packages, and messages, and transporting them safely to their destination. Other tasks that you will likely perform include managing the inventory and completing data entry, preparing documentation and reports, and coordinating logistics for the shipment of products. Additional duties include providing quality service to customers and distributors, resolving inventory discrepancies, and collecting and updating customer information. You may also be tasked to conduct field and laboratory testing of construction materials.
An Inventory Specialist's responsibility is to oversee the inventory in a warehouse or establishment. Most of the tasks of an Inventory Specialist revolve around monitoring the requisition, storage, and deliveries of supplies and merchandise to ensure the quality and quantity of the products. Moreover, the Inventory Specialist also has the responsibility to coordinate with store management when issues arise, train newly hired staff to be a valuable part of the workforce, and provide inventory reports and records to the administration.
Distribution technicians and inventory specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Distribution Technician | Inventory Specialist | |
| Average salary | $33,564 | $35,752 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $41,000 | Between $25,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | Vallejo, CA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Brigham and Women's Hospital | Ensign Energy |
| Best paying industry | Utilities | Technology |
There are a few differences between a distribution technician and an inventory specialist in terms of educational background:
| Distribution Technician | Inventory Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 31% | High School Diploma, 33% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between distribution technicians' and inventory specialists' demographics:
| Distribution Technician | Inventory Specialist | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 70.8% Female, 29.2% | Male, 58.9% Female, 41.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 7.0% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 7.2% White, 57.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |