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The differences between materials technicians and warehouse clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a materials technician has an average salary of $35,721, which is higher than the $31,564 average annual salary of a warehouse clerk.
The top three skills for a materials technician include patients, customer service and patient care. The most important skills for a warehouse clerk are work ethic, data entry, and logistics.
| Materials Technician | Warehouse Clerk | |
| Yearly salary | $35,721 | $31,564 |
| Hourly rate | $17.17 | $15.18 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 33,176 | 235,973 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | High School Diploma, 47% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A materials technician is responsible for inspecting and testing tools and materials required for production operations and manufacturing processes, ensuring its stability and efficiency to support business functions and produce high-quality outputs. Materials technicians review the production process and recommend cost-reduction resources by negotiating with trusted suppliers and vendors. They also identify the safety and reliability of materials to prevent operational delays and avoid potential hazards within the work area. A materials technician must be able to operate manufacturing equipment to develop improved techniques and write report findings.
A warehouse clerk is an employee responsible for the process of ordered goods while keeping the warehouse well-organized and clean. Warehouse clerks accept company products' deliveries, inspect them for any damages, and store them accordingly in the warehouse. Companies require their warehouse clerks to have many skills, such as an operating forklift or other machinery to transport large and heavy goods. Warehouse clerks must also possess abilities like knowledge in Warehouse Management Software programs and detailed-oriented capable of noticing small errors in orders.
Materials technicians and warehouse clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Materials Technician | Warehouse Clerk | |
| Average salary | $35,721 | $31,564 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $47,000 | Between $25,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | Rahway, NJ | San Jose, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Oak Ridge National Laboratory | Thermo Fisher Scientific |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a materials technician and a warehouse clerk in terms of educational background:
| Materials Technician | Warehouse Clerk | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | High School Diploma, 47% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between materials technicians' and warehouse clerks' demographics:
| Materials Technician | Warehouse Clerk | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.6% Female, 27.4% | Male, 73.6% Female, 26.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 6.4% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 26.4% Asian, 5.8% White, 51.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |