Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between mill operators and extrusion operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a mill operator has an average salary of $39,045, which is higher than the $36,571 average annual salary of an extrusion operator.
The top three skills for a mill operator include CNC, OSHA and math. The most important skills for an extrusion operator are extrusion, hand tools, and math.
| Mill Operator | Extrusion Operator | |
| Yearly salary | $39,045 | $36,571 |
| Hourly rate | $18.77 | $17.58 |
| Growth rate | 7% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 64,574 | 58,622 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 49% | High School Diploma, 53% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
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.
An extrusion operator is also sometimes called a drawing machine operator. They control and monitor machines that shape thermoplastic materials for industries such as aerospace manufacturing, general plastics manufacturing, and automobile and auto parts manufacturing. An extrusion operator sets up and operates a machine following established procedures, guidelines, and customer requirement. Mechanical skills are the very foundation of being an extrusion operator. An extrusion operator also needs physical strength, stamina, computer skills, and critical thinking skills.
Mill operators and extrusion operators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mill Operator | Extrusion Operator | |
| Average salary | $39,045 | $36,571 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $48,000 | Between $29,000 And $45,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | Minnetonka, MN |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Freeport-McMoRan | BD |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a mill operator and an extrusion operator in terms of educational background:
| Mill Operator | Extrusion Operator | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 49% | High School Diploma, 53% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between mill operators' and extrusion operators' demographics:
| Mill Operator | Extrusion Operator | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.5% Female, 7.5% | Male, 88.6% Female, 11.4% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 2.3% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 3% |