Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between distribution technicians and warehouse associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a distribution technician has an average salary of $33,564, which is higher than the $32,863 average annual salary of a warehouse associate.
The top three skills for a distribution technician include patients, computer system and data entry. The most important skills for a warehouse associate are pallets, work ethic, and customer service.
| Distribution Technician | Warehouse Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $33,564 | $32,863 |
| Hourly rate | $16.14 | $15.80 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 154,925 | 215,910 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 31% | High School Diploma, 50% |
| 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.
Warehouse associates are employees who take on any task needed at the company warehouse. They receive incoming deliveries, store the items in their proper places, scan the items to log them into the company system, manage stocks and inventory, conduct product inspection to check for damages or defects, and maintain the overall cleanliness of the warehouse. Warehouse associates are also responsible for receiving purchase orders, assembling and packing products related to orders, checking the accuracy of the products relative to the order, and ensuring proper shipment of the products.
Distribution technicians and warehouse associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Distribution Technician | Warehouse Associate | |
| Average salary | $33,564 | $32,863 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $41,000 | Between $26,000 And $40,000 |
| Highest paying City | Vallejo, CA | Portland, OR |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | North Dakota |
| Best paying company | Brigham and Women's Hospital | Uline |
| Best paying industry | Utilities | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a distribution technician and a warehouse associate in terms of educational background:
| Distribution Technician | Warehouse Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 31% | High School Diploma, 50% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between distribution technicians' and warehouse associates' demographics:
| Distribution Technician | Warehouse Associate | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 70.8% Female, 29.2% | Male, 73.7% Female, 26.3% |
| 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, 10.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 20.2% Asian, 6.7% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |