Production utility worker vs finisher operator

The differences between production utility workers and finisher operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a finisher operator has an average salary of $35,406, which is higher than the $31,692 average annual salary of a production utility worker.

The top three skills for a production utility worker include production process, pallets and safety rules. The most important skills for a finisher operator are hand tools, math, and quality checks.

Production utility worker vs finisher operator overview

	Production Utility Worker	Finisher Operator
Yearly salary	$31,692	$35,406
Hourly rate	$15.24	$17.02
Growth rate	-	7%
Number of jobs	81,054	77,850
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 45%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	-	4

What does a production utility worker do?

Professional utility workers have skills in customer service, safety procedures, and safety standards. Those in this career work to maintain a perpetually clean work area, comply with safety standards, inspect finished projects, repair and replace any broken equipment. A professional utility worker will also locate parts and tools to help improve workflows.

What does a finisher operator do?

A finisher operator finalizes a product. They put on the final layer of paint, stitching, engraving or cloth on the product to complete it. They may also restore furniture by fixing dents or discoloration. They are responsible for making sure that their equipment does not malfunction and making minor repairs. They assist in trimming, molding, packing, and transporting the final product, and they are also responsible for final quality control.

Production utility worker vs finisher operator salary

Production utility workers and finisher operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Production Utility Worker	Finisher Operator
Average salary	$31,692	$35,406
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $38,000	Between $28,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	Vancouver, WA	Horsham, PA
Highest paying state	Ohio	Alaska
Best paying company	Steel Dynamics	Elanco
Best paying industry	Media	Technology

Differences between production utility worker and finisher operator education

There are a few differences between a production utility worker and a finisher operator in terms of educational background:

	Production Utility Worker	Finisher Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 45%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Production utility worker vs finisher operator demographics

Here are the differences between production utility workers' and finisher operators' demographics:

	Production Utility Worker	Finisher Operator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 73.6% Female, 26.4%	Male, 69.4% Female, 30.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 7.4% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 15.0% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 2.5% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	5%	4%

Differences between production utility worker and finisher operator duties and responsibilities

Production utility worker example responsibilities.

Manage and instruct workers in the art of food preparation as culinary team leader.
Complete all necessary safety inspection documentation in accordance with OSHA standards and followed-up as required in a timely manner.
Perform production QA to identify abnormal system performance reports; ascertain cause and correct system production information.

Finisher operator example responsibilities.

Experience following procedures and managing GMP documentation.
Position and secure workpieces, using hoists, banding machines or hand tools.
Cross train in CIP validation.
Perform labor duties of concrete demolition.
Operate multiple CNC machines and shadow CNC programmers
Process parts for fluorescent penetrant inspection (FPI/ NDT).

Production utility worker vs finisher operator skills

Common production utility worker skills

Production Process, 15%
Pallets, 15%
Safety Rules, 8%
Basic Math, 8%
Production Equipment, 8%
Production Utility, 6%

Common finisher operator skills

Hand Tools, 10%
Math, 9%
Quality Checks, 7%
Safety Procedures, 5%
Quality Standards, 5%
Product Quality, 5%

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Production and Manufacturing Industry
Production Utility Worker
Production Utility Worker vs Finisher Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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