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The differences between packaging associates and cell operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a cell operator has an average salary of $37,866, which is higher than the $31,519 average annual salary of a packaging associate.
The top three skills for a packaging associate include pallets, defective products and basic math. The most important skills for a cell operator are hand tools, math, and quality standards.
| Packaging Associate | Cell Operator | |
| Yearly salary | $31,519 | $37,866 |
| Hourly rate | $15.15 | $18.20 |
| Growth rate | -3% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 40,179 | 66,532 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 34% | High School Diploma, 41% |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Packaging associates are skilled employees who are responsible for wrapping material around consumer items. This serves to protect and clean products, making them marketable. These associates must perform maintenance on the packaging equipment to ensure that they are running efficiently with minimal downtime. They must inspect completed products for defects and abnormalities to satisfy their customers. Packaging associates must also communicate with technicians and supervisors to rectify problems and ensure that the products are with standards and following their customers' requirements.
A Cell Operator is someone who handles a production cell in a company or factory. This position ensures that a cell unit of the production functions properly and efficiently. The position also does other miscellaneous tasks related to production, such as inspection, sorting, and other assembly operations, depending on the type of company, business, or manufactured product. This person generally has strong organizational and problem-solving skills and has a knack for troubleshooting.
Packaging associates and cell operators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Packaging Associate | Cell Operator | |
| Average salary | $31,519 | $37,866 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $39,000 | Between $31,000 And $45,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Bothell, WA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | PepsiCo | Cummins |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Technology |
There are a few differences between a packaging associate and a cell operator in terms of educational background:
| Packaging Associate | Cell Operator | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 34% | High School Diploma, 41% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between packaging associates' and cell operators' demographics:
| Packaging Associate | Cell Operator | |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 57.9% Female, 42.1% | Male, 68.8% Female, 31.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 7.9% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 7.6% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |