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The differences between inventory specialists and materials specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a materials specialist has an average salary of $44,143, 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 a materials specialist are customer service, logistics, and data entry.
| Inventory Specialist | Materials Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $35,752 | $44,143 |
| Hourly rate | $17.19 | $21.22 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 161,107 | 38,001 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| 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.
A materials specialist is responsible for researching efficient and high-quality materials for production and manufacturing processes, following the designs and specifications of the engineering team and design analysts. Materials specialists identify cost-reduction materials by coordinating with trusted suppliers and vendors and determine the suitability of these items in the supply chain. They conduct data and statistical analysis to develop strategic techniques that would minimize the company's expenditures and cost. A materials specialist must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in writing expense reports and discuss findings to the senior management.
Inventory specialists and materials specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Inventory Specialist | Materials Specialist | |
| Average salary | $35,752 | $44,143 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $49,000 | Between $24,000 And $79,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | San Diego, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Ensign Energy | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between an inventory specialist and a materials specialist in terms of educational background:
| Inventory Specialist | Materials Specialist | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between inventory specialists' and materials specialists' demographics:
| Inventory Specialist | Materials Specialist | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 58.9% Female, 41.1% | Male, 64.4% Female, 35.6% |
| 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, 10.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 6.6% White, 57.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |