How To Become A Hydraulic Press Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a hydraulic press operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a hydraulic press operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $15.42 an hour? That's $32,065 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -5% and produce -45,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreHydraulic Press OperatorUS Average

Salary

2.5

Avg. Salary $32,065

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.5

Growth rate -5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.78%

Asian 1.68%

Black or African American 7.93%

Hispanic or Latino 13.41%

Unknown 4.36%

White 71.84%

Gender

female 9.89%

male 90.11%

Age - 48

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 48

Stress level

6.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.0

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.5

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a hydraulic press operator

Explore hydraulic press operator education requirements

Most common hydraulic press operator degrees

High School Diploma

56.1 %

Associate

18.4 %

Bachelor's

11.2 %

Start to develop specific hydraulic press operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Hand Tools	51.83%
Calipers	21.53%
PPE	8.53%
CNC	6.97%
Assembly Line	3.93%

Complete relevant hydraulic press operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New hydraulic press operators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a hydraulic press operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real hydraulic press operator resumes.

Research hydraulic press operator duties and responsibilities

Perform pressure and travel setting adjustments by CNC controls.
Weld using spot, mig, and arc welders.
Operate a hydraulic bender, cold steel press/punch, and MIG welder.
Train in confine space, micrometers, calipers, and handling of hazardous waste and chemicals.

Prepare your hydraulic press operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your hydraulic press operator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a hydraulic press operator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable hydraulic press operator resume templates

Build a professional hydraulic press operator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your hydraulic press operator resume.