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The differences between materials technicians and warehouse technicians 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 $34,985 average annual salary of a warehouse technician.
The top three skills for a materials technician include patients, customer service and patient care. The most important skills for a warehouse technician are customer service, pallets, and customer orders.
| Materials Technician | Warehouse Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $35,721 | $34,985 |
| Hourly rate | $17.17 | $16.82 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 33,176 | 231,431 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | High School Diploma, 39% |
| 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 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.
Materials technicians and warehouse technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Materials Technician | Warehouse Technician | |
| Average salary | $35,721 | $34,985 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $47,000 | Between $28,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | Rahway, NJ | Kent, WA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Oak Ridge National Laboratory | Freeport-McMoRan |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a materials technician and a warehouse technician in terms of educational background:
| Materials Technician | Warehouse Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | High School Diploma, 39% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between materials technicians' and warehouse technicians' demographics:
| Materials Technician | Warehouse Technician | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.6% Female, 27.4% | Male, 86.3% Female, 13.7% |
| 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, 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 | 6% | 6% |