Key grip vs stage hand

The differences between key grips and stage hands can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a key grip has an average salary of $42,609, which is higher than the $35,686 average annual salary of a stage hand.

The top three skills for a key grip include gaffer, production equipment and music videos. The most important skills for a stage hand are venues, audio systems, and stage equipment.

Key grip vs stage hand overview

	Key Grip	Stage Hand
Yearly salary	$42,609	$35,686
Hourly rate	$20.49	$17.16
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	9,300	10,766
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	-	-

Key grip vs stage hand salary

Key grips and stage hands have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Key Grip	Stage Hand
Average salary	$42,609	$35,686
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $80,000	Between $25,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between key grip and stage hand education

There are a few differences between a key grip and a stage hand in terms of educational background:

	Key Grip	Stage Hand
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Most common major	Photography	Business
Most common college	-	-

Key grip vs stage hand demographics

Here are the differences between key grips' and stage hands' demographics:

	Key Grip	Stage Hand
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1%	Male, 79.9% Female, 20.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 14.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 23.2% Asian, 5.5% White, 50.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 13.5% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 5.8% White, 54.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between key grip and stage hand duties and responsibilities

Key grip example responsibilities.

Work with the cinematographer to achieve the right look for the film in terms of lighting (ARRI, Kino).
Work on the UCLA student film as key grip and gaffer.
Implement the lighting setup design by the director of photography and gaffer.
Work with DP to create the aesthetic of the film using lighting.
Provide hands on assistance with jare Noe, a freelance video production specialist.
Support video production team by working as a grip requiring ability to set up shots, lighting, and audio.

Stage hand example responsibilities.

Maintain and manage multiple stages: FOH mix, monitor mix, and video presentation editing mix.
Operate powered lift trucks, floor sweepers, pallet jacks and forklifts safely.
Operate powered li trucks, floor sweepers, pallet jacks and forkli s safely.
Fill gas in boats and run errands for customers while they are on the boat.
Help carry and assist customers with canoes and kayaks.
Operate skiffs, pontoons and kayaks and prepare them for customer use.

Key grip vs stage hand skills

Common key grip skills

Gaffer, 29%
Production Equipment, 22%
Music Videos, 15%
DP, 8%
JIB, 6%
Arri, 6%

Common stage hand skills

Venues, 21%
Audio Systems, 12%
Stage Equipment, 10%
Audio Equipment, 9%
Backline, 6%
Video, 5%