Injection machine operator vs general machine operator

The differences between injection machine operators and general machine operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a general machine operator has an average salary of $32,414, which is higher than the $31,693 average annual salary of an injection machine operator.

The top three skills for an injection machine operator include PET, hand tools and mold injection. The most important skills for a general machine operator are math, CNC, and safety procedures.

Injection machine operator vs general machine operator overview

	Injection Machine Operator	General Machine Operator
Yearly salary	$31,693	$32,414
Hourly rate	$15.24	$15.58
Growth rate	-5%	7%
Number of jobs	58,188	138,111
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 46%	High School Diploma, 50%
Average age	45	44
Years of experience	-	-

Injection machine operator vs general machine operator salary

Injection machine operators and general machine operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Injection Machine Operator	General Machine Operator
Average salary	$31,693	$32,414
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $40,000	Between $26,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	-	Oshkosh, WI
Highest paying state	-	Wisconsin
Best paying company	-	Reckitt Benckiser
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between injection machine operator and general machine operator education

There are a few differences between an injection machine operator and a general machine operator in terms of educational background:

	Injection Machine Operator	General Machine Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 46%	High School Diploma, 50%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Injection machine operator vs general machine operator demographics

Here are the differences between injection machine operators' and general machine operators' demographics:

	Injection Machine Operator	General Machine Operator
Average age	45	44
Gender ratio	Male, 65.2% Female, 34.8%	Male, 81.2% Female, 18.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 7.9% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 7.3% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	3%	5%

Differences between injection machine operator and general machine operator duties and responsibilities

Injection machine operator example responsibilities.

Require molding expect rate of part producing and achieving ISO QualityStandards.
Use hoists and motorize pallet jacks to move dies.
Produce and maintain accurate documentation for production reports using math and computer skills.
Put a retainer on by using metal clips.

General machine operator example responsibilities.

Lift work pieces to machines using hoists.
Control & troubleshoot automate extrusion line adjusting speed & feed, monitoring temperature, & finish material specification per customers order.
Overlook daily operations of single/twin screw extruders and packaging of finish product.

Injection machine operator vs general machine operator skills

Common injection machine operator skills

PET, 17%
Hand Tools, 15%
Mold Injection, 14%
Customer Specifications, 11%
Plastic Bottles, 9%
Quality Checks, 6%

Common general machine operator skills

Math, 12%
CNC, 10%
Safety Procedures, 10%
Troubleshoot, 9%
Production Process, 8%
Machine Operation, 6%

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Production and Manufacturing Industry
Injection Machine Operator
Injection Machine Operator vs General Machine Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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