Food production worker vs industrial worker

The differences between food production workers and industrial workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an industrial worker has an average salary of $31,464, which is higher than the $30,076 average annual salary of a food production worker.

The top three skills for a food production worker include basic math, safety regulations and math. The most important skills for an industrial worker are industrial cleaning, pallets, and hand tools.

Food production worker vs industrial worker overview

	Food Production Worker	Industrial Worker
Yearly salary	$30,076	$31,464
Hourly rate	$14.46	$15.13
Growth rate	-	1%
Number of jobs	120,493	99,045
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 50%	High School Diploma, 47%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	-	-

Food production worker vs industrial worker salary

Food production workers and industrial workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Food Production Worker	Industrial Worker
Average salary	$30,076	$31,464
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $36,000	Between $24,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	White Bear Lake, MN
Highest paying state	North Dakota	Connecticut
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Clean Harbors
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Automotive

Differences between food production worker and industrial worker education

There are a few differences between a food production worker and an industrial worker in terms of educational background:

	Food Production Worker	Industrial Worker
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 50%	High School Diploma, 47%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Food production worker vs industrial worker demographics

Here are the differences between food production workers' and industrial workers' demographics:

	Food Production Worker	Industrial Worker
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 50.0% Female, 50.0%	Male, 61.3% Female, 38.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 6.2% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 12.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 4.6% White, 63.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between food production worker and industrial worker duties and responsibilities

Food production worker example responsibilities.

Manage and instruct workers in the art of food preparation as culinary team leader.
Ensure employees produce products to client's specs and to FDA or USDA standards in a timely manner.
Clean the equipment as well as the area to FDA standards.
Tend or operate and sanitize equipment such as kettles and cookers to the standards of the USDA.
Adhere to safe work practices, follow GMP s, maintain sanitary conditions and ensure that product quality is maintained.
Perform housekeeping responsibilities ensuring adherence to USDA guidelines.

Industrial worker example responsibilities.

Maximize efficiency by critically evaluating resources by utilizing on-the-spot math and visualizing complete orders to minimize error before building a pallet.
Help develop acontrol atmosphere brazing oven for a new cupro braze radiator

Food production worker vs industrial worker skills

Common food production worker skills

Basic Math, 28%
Safety Regulations, 10%
Math, 8%
Cleanliness, 8%
Assembly Line, 8%
Production Process, 6%

Common industrial worker skills

Industrial Cleaning, 19%
Pallets, 18%
Hand Tools, 16%
Assembly Line, 14%
Safety Standards, 8%
Pallet Jack, 4%

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Food Production Worker
Food Production Worker vs Industrial Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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