Hydro operator vs mill operator

The differences between hydro operators and mill operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a hydro operator, becoming a mill operator takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a hydro operator has an average salary of $40,931, which is higher than the $39,045 average annual salary of a mill operator.

The top three skills for a hydro operator include CDL, safety procedures and industrial cleaning. The most important skills for a mill operator are CNC, OSHA, and math.

Hydro operator vs mill operator overview

	Hydro Operator	Mill Operator
Yearly salary	$40,931	$39,045
Hourly rate	$19.68	$18.77
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	39,419	64,574
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 41%	High School Diploma, 49%
Average age	47	43
Years of experience	2	4

Hydro operator vs mill operator salary

Hydro operators and mill operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Hydro Operator	Mill Operator
Average salary	$40,931	$39,045
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $59,000	Between $31,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	-	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Freeport-McMoRan
Best paying industry	-	Construction

Differences between hydro operator and mill operator education

There are a few differences between a hydro operator and a mill operator in terms of educational background:

	Hydro Operator	Mill Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 41%	High School Diploma, 49%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Hydro operator vs mill operator demographics

Here are the differences between hydro operators' and mill operators' demographics:

	Hydro Operator	Mill Operator
Average age	47	43
Gender ratio	Male, 96.6% Female, 3.4%	Male, 92.5% Female, 7.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 4.7% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 14.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 2.4% White, 62.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	11%	4%

Differences between hydro operator and mill operator duties and responsibilities

Hydro operator example responsibilities.

Used high-pressure water and vacuum system to excavate debris from oil drilling rig tanks and other various containers.
Operate heavy machinery such as bobcat equipment and also operate and pave asphalt perform demolition work.
Instruct several in-house classes to include H2S awareness and hazard awareness.

Mill operator example responsibilities.

Manage the master calendar and schedule resources such as communication equipment, weapons, transportation and ammunition forecast and delivery.
Perform all work in respirator and other proper PPE.
Skil at training other machinists on CNC machines in this shop.
Assemble parts, operate CNC lathe and mills and adjust off sets.
Perform QC testing on products, filing paperwork per company and ISO standards.
Rebuild Rotex sifters, fabricate and replace screens, replace shoes and anvils in impact mills.

Hydro operator vs mill operator skills

Common hydro operator skills

CDL, 46%
Safety Procedures, 13%
Industrial Cleaning, 9%
DOT, 7%
Hydro Blasting, 4%
Frac, 4%

Common mill operator skills

CNC, 7%
OSHA, 7%
Math, 6%
Calipers, 6%
Hand Tools, 5%
Safety Rules, 5%