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The differences between production employees and line operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a line operator has an average salary of $34,520, which is higher than the $32,872 average annual salary of a production employee.
The top three skills for a production employee include production floor, quality standards and safety standards. The most important skills for a line operator are preventative maintenance, PPE, and basic math.
| Production Employee | Line Operator | |
| Yearly salary | $32,872 | $34,520 |
| Hourly rate | $15.80 | $16.60 |
| Growth rate | - | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 75,730 | 137,127 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 34% | High School Diploma, 49% |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
In a manufacturing setting, a production employee is in charge of assembling and processing products, ensuring efficiency and timelines. Their responsibilities include adhering to guidelines and blueprints, monitoring the products for any defects or inconsistencies, operating machines and equipment, keeping an eye on the assembly line, and maintaining the cleanliness of work areas. Furthermore, as a production employee, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with co-workers, coordinating every step of the way, and alerting managers should there be any problems.
A line operator is responsible for assisting in warehouse and factory operations, usually assigned on doing heavy works for the production. Line operators' duties include operating manufacturing machines and equipment, placing products on the appropriate shelves, checking supplies and inventories, loading orders for shipments, inspecting products for any defects, labeling products accurately, adhering to the safety procedures to prevent product contamination, and observing sanitary regulations. A line operator must have comprehensive knowledge of the mechanical industry, as well as the ability to multi-task, especially on meeting deadlines and processing customers' orders.
Production employees and line operators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Production Employee | Line Operator | |
| Average salary | $32,872 | $34,520 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $42,000 | Between $27,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cleveland, OH | Grand Forks, ND |
| Highest paying state | Minnesota | North Dakota |
| Best paying company | Steel Dynamics | BD |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a production employee and a line operator in terms of educational background:
| Production Employee | Line Operator | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 34% | High School Diploma, 49% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between production employees' and line operators' demographics:
| Production Employee | Line Operator | |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.6% Female, 30.4% | Male, 67.6% Female, 32.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 7.9% White, 60.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 7.0% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |