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The differences between general warehouse associates and warehouse technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a warehouse technician has an average salary of $34,985, which is higher than the $32,339 average annual salary of a general warehouse associate.
The top three skills for a general warehouse associate include pallets, manual pallet jack and rf scanner. The most important skills for a warehouse technician are customer service, pallets, and customer orders.
| General Warehouse Associate | Warehouse Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $32,339 | $34,985 |
| Hourly rate | $15.55 | $16.82 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 244,609 | 231,431 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 47% | High School Diploma, 39% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A General Warehouse Associate performs a variety of tasks at warehouses on a day-to-day basis. They typically receive and process shipments, organize stocks, inspect packages to ensure quantity and quality, maintain inventory and other records, operate tools and equipment such as forklifts and scanners, utilize warehouse spaces, and prepare products subjected for deliveries. Moreover, a General Warehouse Associate must maintain an active communication line with staff for a smooth and efficient workflow.
A warehouse technician is responsible for monitoring the incoming and outgoing goods and services in the warehouse or distribution centers. Warehouse technicians verify shipment details, assist with packaging items, move merchandise to storage areas, inspect the quality of items for release, and escalate defective products for immediate replacement. They also operate various warehouse equipment and machinery, conduct maintenance repairs, and loading and unloading items from the delivery trucks. A warehouse technician must have excellent time-management and organizational skills, especially on processing orders and creating reports for inventory receipts.
General warehouse associates and warehouse technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| General Warehouse Associate | Warehouse Technician | |
| Average salary | $32,339 | $34,985 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $39,000 | Between $28,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | Wilkes-Barre, PA | Kent, WA |
| Highest paying state | Minnesota | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Olympic Steel | Freeport-McMoRan |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a general warehouse associate and a warehouse technician in terms of educational background:
| General Warehouse Associate | Warehouse Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 47% | High School Diploma, 39% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between general warehouse associates' and warehouse technicians' demographics:
| General Warehouse Associate | Warehouse Technician | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.3% Female, 24.7% | Male, 86.3% Female, 13.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 20.3% Asian, 6.9% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 6.5% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |