A material handler is responsible for storing, moving, and handling hazardous or non-hazardous material. They work in warehouses and other merchandise distribution points. They frequently move products to where they are needed most, whether that be from the production line to storage areas or from storage areas to shipment points for delivery to customers.
The tasks that you will be performing in this capacity include inspecting documents that are present from external suppliers, performing filling work orders in a timely manner, maintaining inventory management of the sub-inventory, calling vendors for picks ups and returns, and performing packaging, handling, transportation, and other related shipping duties. Most material handlers work indoors as part of a team.
Typically, they are supervised by a warehouse manager or shift supervisor. Depending on the needs of the company, material handlers may have to communicate effectively with suppliers, freight companies, customers, and vendors. No formal education requirements are imposed; however, having a high school diploma or a GED may prove beneficial.
The average hourly salary for the position is $14.11, which amounts to $29,352. Moreover, the career is expected to grow further in the coming years, which will result in more opportunities being created across the United States.
What is a Material Handler/Warehouse?
What Does a Material Handler/Warehouse Do
There are certain skills that many material handler/warehouses have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed hand-eye coordination, listening skills and physical strength.
How To Become a Material Handler/Warehouse
If you're interested in becoming a material handler/warehouse, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 15.5% of material handler/warehouses have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 1.1% of material handler/warehouses have master's degrees. Even though some material handler/warehouses have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Material Handler/Warehouse Job Description
Material Handler/Warehouse Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of material handler/forklift operator you might progress to a role such as driver eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title operations manager.
Average Salary for a Material Handler/Warehouse
What Am I Worth?
Roles and Types of Material Handler/Warehouse
The role of a material handler/warehouse includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general material handler/warehouse responsibilities:
- Read, interpret, and apply warehouse management system (wms) order instructions recognize
- Oversees the hiring process and provides direct supervision for the day-to-day activities of warehouse personnel including training, team building, scheduling, support, performance reviews,
- Performs activities involved in transferring materials from receiving to proper storage within a warehouse racking system. Reviews orders
There are several types of material handler/warehouse, including:
Warehouse Worker
Role:
As a warehouse worker, you'll have plenty of work to keep your mind off that machinery. You'll need to receive and process any deliveries of stock or materials that come your way and you may also be in charge of filling out those delivery orders, as well as sending out some deliveries yourself.
While you'll probably only be working eight hours per shift, you may think this job is a breeze. Don't forget that standing around for that long and moving heavy items can take a toll. If you work as a warehouse worker, you'll need to make sure you're taking plenty of breaks during each shift, which I'm sure you'll happily agree to.
- Average Salary: $33,010
- Degree: High School Diploma
Material Handler
Role:
Materials aren't just shipped on a 9-5 schedule. The materials will arrive at any time of the day or night. So you may need to be prepared to work some overnight shifts. As a material handler, the only requirement to the job is being able to physically perform your job duties. So as long as you can do that, you won't have any problems handling material.
- Average Salary: $33,215
- Degree: High School Diploma
Warehouse Clerk
Role:
Warehouse clerks are highly organized and able to work at a fast pace. They will know where to look for misplaced items, how to operate a forklift, and how to get through to a potentially grumpy truck driver.
The more experienced you are on the job, the more money you will make. From entry-level wages averaging around $27,000 a year, you can make your way up to earning $34,000 if you keep at it.
- Average Salary: $31,564
- Degree: High School Diploma
States With The Most Material Handler/Warehouse Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active material handler/warehouse jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where material handler/warehouses earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Number Of Material Handler/Warehouse Jobs By State
Top Skills For a Material Handler/Warehouse
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 16.1% of material handler/warehouses listed pallets on their resume, but soft skills such as hand-eye coordination and listening skills are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Material Handler/Warehouse Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Material Handler/Warehouse templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Material Handler/Warehouse resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Material Handler/Warehouse Demographics
Material Handler/Warehouse Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among material handler/warehouses, 15.0% of them are women, while 85.0% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among material handler/warehouses is White, which makes up 54.2% of all material handler/warehouses.
- The most common foreign language among material handler/warehouses is Spanish at 69.6%.
Online Courses For Material Handler/Warehouse That You May Like
1. OSHA Workplace Safety (General Industry 6 Hr Class)
Learn the requirements and standards associated with OSHA and workplace safety. Safety best practices for the workplace...
See More on Udemy2. OSHA Safety Pro: Trenching Excavation & Soil Mechanics
A quick yet detailed certification in OSHA safety with a focus on Trenching, Excavation, & Soil Mechanics...
See More on Udemy3. OSHA Safety Training: Conducting Safety Meetings
A Brief Safety Management Course for Current and Aspiring Safety Professionals...
See More on UdemyBest States For a Material Handler/Warehouse
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a material handler/warehouse. The best states for people in this position are Hawaii, Alaska, Washington, and Minnesota. Material handler/warehouses make the most in Hawaii with an average salary of $37,591. Whereas in Alaska and Washington, they would average $37,431 and $36,801, respectively. While material handler/warehouses would only make an average of $35,972 in Minnesota, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Wisconsin
$34,882
Avg. Salary
2. Indiana
$33,481
Avg. Salary
3. Minnesota
$35,972
Avg. Salary
How Do Material Handler/Warehouse Rate Their Jobs?
Top Material Handler/Warehouse Employers
Most Common Employers For Material Handler/Warehouse
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dot Foods | $36,830 | $17.71 | 91 |
| 2 | Havertys Furniture | $36,806 | $17.70 | 30 |
| 3 | Staples | $36,768 | $17.68 | 114 |
| 4 | Dexter | $36,200 | $17.40 | 23 |
| 5 | Avantor | $35,753 | $17.19 | 23 |
| 6 | McKesson | $35,449 | $17.04 | 41 |
| 7 | The Coca-Cola Company | $34,952 | $16.80 | 38 |
| 8 | UPS | $34,797 | $16.73 | 31 |
| 9 | U.S. Venture | $34,665 | $16.67 | 194 |
| 10 | Frito-Lay | $33,880 | $16.29 | 142 |
Material Handler/Warehouse Videos
