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The differences between production associates and production technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a production technician has an average salary of $37,550, which is higher than the $32,439 average annual salary of a production associate.
The top three skills for a production associate include basic math, customer service and math. The most important skills for a production technician are hand tools, preventative maintenance, and quality checks.
| Production Associate | Production Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $32,439 | $37,550 |
| Hourly rate | $15.60 | $18.05 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 78,874 | 135,266 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 34% |
| Average age | 38 | 45 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
The responsibilities of a Production Associate vary according to their chosen line of industry or work. A Production Associate is usually assigned to quality control in a Manufacturing setting, wherein they are required to oversee the process, materials, and workforce involved in each operation, ensuring they adhere to the standards and policies of the company. Furthermore, they must coordinate with other personnel or departments through daily reports, monitor the progress of activities, raise detected issues to managers, follow every protocol, and maintain necessary documentation.
A production technician is an individual who is responsible for assembling and testing manufactured goods before they are marketed to the general public. Production technicians usually work with manufacturing and quality assurance personnel to ensure that high-quality work standards are implemented by workers. By maintaining high-quality work, production technicians must implement up-to-date, efficient methods of production as well as production equipment maintenance procedures. They also schedule training for workers and educate them regularly on health and safety regulations.
Production associates and production technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Production Associate | Production Technician | |
| Average salary | $32,439 | $37,550 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $40,000 | Between $28,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Frederick, MD |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Maryland |
| Best paying company | Bunge | Cornerstone Research |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a production associate and a production technician in terms of educational background:
| Production Associate | Production Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 34% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between production associates' and production technicians' demographics:
| Production Associate | Production Technician | |
| Average age | 38 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1% | Male, 71.4% Female, 28.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 5.9% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 7.5% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 6% |