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The differences between inventory controllers and distribution specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an inventory controller has an average salary of $36,911, which is higher than the $36,140 average annual salary of a distribution specialist.
The top three skills for an inventory controller include inventory control, customer service and data entry. The most important skills for a distribution specialist are work ethic, windows, and strong customer service.
| Inventory Controller | Distribution Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $36,911 | $36,140 |
| Hourly rate | $17.75 | $17.38 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 140,496 | 45,554 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
An inventory controller is responsible for performing duties for the inventory department of an organization. Inventory controllers ensure the adequacy of the product and materials needed for daily operations. They maintain inventory reports, manage stock supplies, negotiate with third-party vendors for orders of quality products, monitor deliveries, verifying orders for shipment, handling the employee and customers' requests for supplies, and receiving orders efficiently. Inventory controllers keep receipts of all inventory transactions, as well as inspecting the quality of the inventory items, requiring them to have excellent analytical and critical-thinking skills.
A distribution specialist specializes in the real-time, time-bounded, secure distribution of products from factories and manufacturing plants to various stores and companies. They are also responsible for making inventories of incoming goods and machines to the factory where he/she works. They can be liable to any lost goods, erroneous inventories, malicious products, and troublesome staff sometimes. Every distribution specialist must ensure that production quotas are achieved and that any barriers to achieving these goals are resolved
Inventory controllers and distribution specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Inventory Controller | Distribution Specialist | |
| Average salary | $36,911 | $36,140 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $48,000 | Between $24,000 And $52,000 |
| Highest paying City | Everett, MA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | General Dynamics Mission Systems | Gilead Sciences |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Health Care |
There are a few differences between an inventory controller and a distribution specialist in terms of educational background:
| Inventory Controller | Distribution Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between inventory controllers' and distribution specialists' demographics:
| Inventory Controller | Distribution Specialist | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 59.4% Female, 40.6% | Male, 65.1% Female, 34.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 20.8% Asian, 6.7% White, 56.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 6.4% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |