Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between lift operators and cherry picker operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a lift operator and a cherry picker operator. Additionally, a cherry picker operator has an average salary of $33,956, which is higher than the $32,309 average annual salary of a lift operator.
The top three skills for a lift operator include pallets, fork-lift and electric pallet jack. The most important skills for a cherry picker operator are cherry-picker, pallets, and rf scanner.
| Lift Operator | Cherry Picker Operator | |
| Yearly salary | $32,309 | $33,956 |
| Hourly rate | $15.53 | $16.32 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 72,445 | 105,023 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 53% | High School Diploma, 62% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A lift operator is responsible for overseeing the performance of chair lifts in ski resorts and mountains, ensuring the efficiency of the machine and safety of all riders. Aside from controlling operations, they must also assist customers in getting up and off the lifts, remind them of the safety precautions, and ensure that the ride capacity is up to standard. Furthermore, lift operators must make sure that the machine is in good condition and adhere to all the safety regulations and policies at all times.
Cherry pickers perform a safe and efficient operation of motorized lift vehicles in pulling customer order-based products. The cherry pickers manage different warehouse operating systems and associates to support processing and internal order logistics. They perform preventive maintenance on pallet packs, machines, cherry pickers, and forklifts. It is part of their job to count, verify, and check documents for completeness and accuracy. The skills to develop for this job include warehouse environment, clamp, and pallet jack operations.
Lift operators and cherry picker operators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lift Operator | Cherry Picker Operator | |
| Average salary | $32,309 | $33,956 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $39,000 | Between $27,000 And $41,000 |
| Highest paying City | Fremont, CA | Eagan, MN |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | BD | United Natural Foods |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a lift operator and a cherry picker operator in terms of educational background:
| Lift Operator | Cherry Picker Operator | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 53% | High School Diploma, 62% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between lift operators' and cherry picker operators' demographics:
| Lift Operator | Cherry Picker Operator | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9% | Male, 76.5% Female, 23.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 15.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 2.6% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 16.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 20.6% Asian, 2.4% White, 55.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |