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The differences between maintenance operators and mill 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 maintenance operator and a mill operator. Additionally, a mill operator has an average salary of $39,045, which is higher than the $35,420 average annual salary of a maintenance operator.
The top three skills for a maintenance operator include hand tools, CDL and preventative maintenance. The most important skills for a mill operator are CNC, OSHA, and math.
| Maintenance Operator | Mill Operator | |
| Yearly salary | $35,420 | $39,045 |
| Hourly rate | $17.03 | $18.77 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 142,679 | 64,574 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 36% | High School Diploma, 49% |
| Average age | 47 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Maintenance operators are skilled technicians who use a variety of small equipment and tools to perform and assist in the maintenance activities of a business establishment. These operators are required to assist the equipment manager in preparing preventative maintenance procedures so that they can increase productivity and reduce downtime of equipment. They must enforce safety rules and regulations and ensure that staff members are following them to prevent accidents in the facility. Maintenance operators must also train maintenance employees in performing proper preventative maintenance.
Mill operators are skilled employees who are responsible for operating and maintaining milling machines that grind materials such as rocks or chemicals at a milling facility. These operators must gather raw materials for production and assist with the inventory of all materials. They must operate a wide variety of equipment such as power saws, sanders, drill press, and basic hand tools while performing regular maintenance and troubleshooting on the milling machines. Mill operators must also attend safety meetings that are held weekly and monthly to ensure machine operators are following safety procedures.
Maintenance operators and mill operators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Maintenance Operator | Mill Operator | |
| Average salary | $35,420 | $39,045 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $47,000 | Between $31,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | Urban Honolulu, HI | San Jose, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Continental Resources | Freeport-McMoRan |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Construction |
There are a few differences between a maintenance operator and a mill operator in terms of educational background:
| Maintenance Operator | Mill Operator | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 36% | High School Diploma, 49% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between maintenance operators' and mill operators' demographics:
| Maintenance Operator | Mill Operator | |
| Average age | 47 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.6% Female, 7.4% | Male, 92.5% Female, 7.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 4.6% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 14.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 2.4% White, 62.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 4% |