A packager is an individual who works in a warehouse or shipping facility and assembles and puts together packages such as boxes or crates. They pack, label and record what is packed, inspect packages for damage, cracks, or dents, and ensure all packed materials adhere to organizational standards to minimize damage and breaking during shipping. Packagers are also responsible for loading items into containers, weighing and labeling the items, performing final quality checks, and managing the inventory of all materials and shipments. They also are required to follow OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) guidelines for packing to ensure worker safety.
An advanced degree is not required to pursue a job as a packager; however, most employers require a High School diploma or a GED. These individuals should possess strong communication, organizational, and teamwork skills, have a strong eye for detail, and be able to stand and bend down for hours at a time.
Most packagers can expect to make up to $31,000 annually in the U.S., and the job field is projected to increase 4% by 2028.
What is a Packager?
What Does a Packager Do
There are certain skills that many packagers 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 customer-service skills, listening skills and physical strength.
How To Become a Packager
If you're interested in becoming a packager, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 15.5% of packagers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 1.1% of packagers have master's degrees. Even though some packagers have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Packager Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a packager can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as machine operator, progress to a title such as foreman and then eventually end up with the title warehouse manager.
Average Salary for a Packager
What Am I Worth?
Roles and Types of Packager
The role of a packager includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general packager responsibilities:
- Performs weighing, filling, labeling, sealing and other packaging operations as well as general warehouse duties relating to packaging materials such as unloading bottle trucks
- Utilizes and follows written documentation such as drawings, bom’s department work instructions
- Ensure accurate inventory accounting at all times. May include manual inventory processes
There are several types of packager, including:
Machine Operator
Role:
Some machine operators need training in order to operate certain machinery such as cranes and excavators. The hours you work as a machine operator can vary, but often include overtime, night shifts, and weekend shifts.
As a machine operator, you have lots of industries you could go into, from warehousing and storage to food manufacturing and construction. The list goes on and on. Depending on the industry, your work can take you outside or you may get to work inside.
- Average Salary: $32,874
- Degree: High School Diploma
Line Operator
Role:
Working in several shifts to optimize production rates, line operators are not required to have higher education. They are usually trained on-site for the role they are hired for and take it from there.
Physical stamina and being agile and dexterous will be skills that make your day easier, as well as an ability to endure monotonous activities and a loud environment.
- Average Salary: $34,520
- Degree: High School Diploma
Pack Machine Operator
Role:
A pack machine operator helps ensure that each item is packed according to set company and legal standards. Their duties may also include conducting basic maintenance on the packing machine, reporting any issues to management, and keeping records of maintenance tasks done on the machine. Furthermore, they implement strategies to avoid problems like jams in the machine, which can delay productivity altogether.
The typical requirement for this job is a high school diploma or GED. However, some pack machine operators take the extra mile and go to an internship. Aside from that, pack machine operators also need to be knowledgeable about safety procedures, GMP, and FDA regulations, especially if they are packing food or beverage items.
Pack machine operators make around $30,000 per year, but some operators can earn as much as $37,000.
- Average Salary: $35,157
- Degree: High School Diploma
States With The Most Packager Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active packager jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where packagers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Number Of Packager Jobs By State
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 112 | $33,432 |
| 2 | Texas | 107 | $26,256 |
| 3 | Minnesota | 95 | $38,014 |
| 4 | Ohio | 75 | $31,130 |
| 5 | Wisconsin | 64 | $35,280 |
| 6 | Illinois | 62 | $33,674 |
| 7 | Florida | 62 | $23,602 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | 51 | $33,597 |
| 9 | Georgia | 42 | $26,441 |
| 10 | Michigan | 36 | $31,736 |
| 11 | Indiana | 36 | $29,655 |
| 12 | New York | 34 | $31,300 |
| 13 | North Carolina | 33 | $24,597 |
| 14 | Kentucky | 29 | $29,996 |
| 15 | Missouri | 29 | $29,590 |
| 16 | Iowa | 27 | $29,546 |
| 17 | Utah | 26 | $30,838 |
| 18 | Kansas | 26 | $29,378 |
| 19 | Tennessee | 24 | $25,484 |
| 20 | South Carolina | 22 | $25,831 |
| 21 | Massachusetts | 21 | $33,831 |
| 22 | New Jersey | 19 | $34,666 |
| 23 | Mississippi | 19 | $25,259 |
| 24 | Virginia | 19 | $29,073 |
| 25 | Colorado | 18 | $31,567 |
| 26 | Nebraska | 17 | $28,830 |
| 27 | Vermont | 16 | $33,295 |
| 28 | Connecticut | 15 | $35,339 |
| 29 | Arizona | 15 | $30,658 |
| 30 | Alabama | 15 | $21,674 |
| 31 | Maryland | 14 | $34,352 |
| 32 | Louisiana | 14 | $23,341 |
| 33 | Washington | 13 | $37,657 |
| 34 | North Dakota | 12 | $35,606 |
| 35 | Arkansas | 12 | $24,571 |
| 36 | Oregon | 10 | $35,773 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | 8 | $26,052 |
| 38 | Idaho | 7 | $35,445 |
| 39 | Nevada | 7 | $32,651 |
| 40 | New Hampshire | 6 | $32,920 |
| 41 | New Mexico | 6 | $25,028 |
| 42 | West Virginia | 5 | $32,099 |
| 43 | Montana | 4 | $28,429 |
| 44 | Rhode Island | 3 | $34,468 |
| 45 | Maine | 3 | $35,615 |
| 46 | Delaware | 3 | $31,742 |
| 47 | South Dakota | 2 | $32,058 |
| 48 | Hawaii | 2 | $34,356 |
| 49 | Wyoming | 2 | $19,503 |
| 50 | Alaska | 0 | $35,172 |
Top Skills For a Packager
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, 10.8% of packagers listed basic math on their resume, but soft skills such as customer-service skills and listening skills are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Packager Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Packager templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Packager resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Packager Demographics
Packager Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among packagers, 47.7% of them are women, while 52.3% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among packagers is White, which makes up 60.6% of all packagers.
- The most common foreign language among packagers is Spanish at 77.7%.
Online Courses For Packager That You May Like
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See More on UdemyBest States For a Packager
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a packager. The best states for people in this position are Minnesota, Washington, Oregon, and Maine. Packagers make the most in Minnesota with an average salary of $38,014. Whereas in Washington and Oregon, they would average $37,657 and $35,773, respectively. While packagers would only make an average of $35,615 in Maine, 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. Minnesota
$38,014
Avg. Salary
2. Wisconsin
$35,280
Avg. Salary
3. North Dakota
$35,606
Avg. Salary
How Do Packager Rate Their Jobs?
Top Packager Employers
Most Common Employers For Packager
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UPS | $34,880 | $16.77 | 21 |
| 2 | Amazon | $33,869 | $16.28 | 161 |
| 3 | FedEx | $33,796 | $16.25 | 277 |
| 4 | Smith & Nephew | $33,270 | $16.00 | 32 |
| 5 | Butterball | $33,097 | $15.91 | 15 |
| 6 | Poly-America | $32,968 | $15.85 | 51 |
| 7 | Kelly Services | $32,187 | $15.47 | 66 |
| 8 | ManpowerGroup | $32,014 | $15.39 | 83 |
| 9 | Volt Information Sciences | $31,932 | $15.35 | 16 |
| 10 | Staffworks Group | $31,871 | $15.32 | 17 |
Packager Videos
