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The differences between material handler/warehouses and warehouse technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a warehouse technician has an average salary of $34,985, which is higher than the $32,384 average annual salary of a material handler/warehouse.
The top three skills for a material handler/warehouse include pallets, work ethic and warehouse environment. The most important skills for a warehouse technician are customer service, pallets, and customer orders.
| Material Handler/Warehouse | Warehouse Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $32,384 | $34,985 |
| Hourly rate | $15.57 | $16.82 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 154,227 | 231,431 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 48% | High School Diploma, 39% |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A warehouse material handler is responsible for assisting warehouse operations, moving merchandise from one place to another, labeling products, performing quality check procedures, packaging goods, and loading and unloading items from distribution vehicles. Warehouse material handlers operate warehouse tools and equipment for production, as well as ensuring the adequacy of stock inventory needed for orders and deliveries. A warehouse material handler also updates product information on the database and do administrative tasks, such as writing reports and responding to customers' inquiries and concerns.
A warehouse technician is responsible for monitoring the incoming and outgoing goods and services in the warehouse or distribution centers. Warehouse technicians verify shipment details, assist with packaging items, move merchandise to storage areas, inspect the quality of items for release, and escalate defective products for immediate replacement. They also operate various warehouse equipment and machinery, conduct maintenance repairs, and loading and unloading items from the delivery trucks. A warehouse technician must have excellent time-management and organizational skills, especially on processing orders and creating reports for inventory receipts.
Material handler/warehouses and warehouse technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Material Handler/Warehouse | Warehouse Technician | |
| Average salary | $32,384 | $34,985 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $38,000 | Between $28,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | Tacoma, WA | Kent, WA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | PPG | Freeport-McMoRan |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a material handler/warehouse and a warehouse technician in terms of educational background:
| Material Handler/Warehouse | Warehouse Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 48% | High School Diploma, 39% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between material handler/warehouses' and warehouse technicians' demographics:
| Material Handler/Warehouse | Warehouse Technician | |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.0% Female, 15.0% | Male, 86.3% Female, 13.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.4% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.6% Asian, 5.4% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 6.5% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 6% |