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The differences between inventory specialists and inventory controllers 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 $35,752 average annual salary of an inventory specialist.
The top three skills for an inventory specialist include customer service, sales floor and reservations. The most important skills for an inventory controller are inventory control, customer service, and data entry.
| Inventory Specialist | Inventory Controller | |
| Yearly salary | $35,752 | $36,911 |
| Hourly rate | $17.19 | $17.75 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 161,107 | 140,496 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 34% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
An Inventory Specialist's responsibility is to oversee the inventory in a warehouse or establishment. Most of the tasks of an Inventory Specialist revolve around monitoring the requisition, storage, and deliveries of supplies and merchandise to ensure the quality and quantity of the products. Moreover, the Inventory Specialist also has the responsibility to coordinate with store management when issues arise, train newly hired staff to be a valuable part of the workforce, and provide inventory reports and records to the administration.
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.
Inventory specialists and inventory controllers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Inventory Specialist | Inventory Controller | |
| Average salary | $35,752 | $36,911 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $49,000 | Between $28,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Everett, MA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Ensign Energy | General Dynamics Mission Systems |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between an inventory specialist and an inventory controller in terms of educational background:
| Inventory Specialist | Inventory Controller | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 34% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between inventory specialists' and inventory controllers' demographics:
| Inventory Specialist | Inventory Controller | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 58.9% Female, 41.1% | Male, 59.4% Female, 40.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 7.2% White, 57.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |