Production worker vs general machine operator

The differences between production workers and general machine operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a general machine operator has an average salary of $32,414, which is higher than the $30,847 average annual salary of a production worker.

The top three skills for a production worker include production process, safety procedures and assembly line. The most important skills for a general machine operator are math, CNC, and safety procedures.

Production worker vs general machine operator overview

	Production Worker	General Machine Operator
Yearly salary	$30,847	$32,414
Hourly rate	$14.83	$15.58
Growth rate	-	7%
Number of jobs	136,584	138,111
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 52%	High School Diploma, 50%
Average age	43	44
Years of experience	-	-

Production worker vs general machine operator salary

Production workers and general machine operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Production Worker	General Machine Operator
Average salary	$30,847	$32,414
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $38,000	Between $26,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	Tacoma, WA	Oshkosh, WI
Highest paying state	Washington	Wisconsin
Best paying company	BD	Reckitt Benckiser
Best paying industry	Automotive	Finance

Differences between production worker and general machine operator education

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

	Production Worker	General Machine Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 52%	High School Diploma, 50%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Production worker vs general machine operator demographics

Here are the differences between production workers' and general machine operators' demographics:

	Production Worker	General Machine Operator
Average age	43	44
Gender ratio	Male, 56.3% Female, 43.7%	Male, 81.2% Female, 18.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 7.0% White, 61.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 7.3% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between production worker and general machine operator duties and responsibilities

Production worker example responsibilities.

Manage and instruct workers in the art of food preparation as culinary team leader.
Require to know safe food practices like HACCP, and knowing USDA and FDA guidelines when handling and storing foods.
Use scribers, dividers, and squares to mark dimensions on material.
Produce glace, demi-glace and elite culinary sauces.
Handle parts that run off conveyors and are send for painting.
Operate large grinders, run high heat ovens, inspect and paint parts, packaging.

General machine operator example responsibilities.

Lift work pieces to machines using hoists.
Control & troubleshoot automate extrusion line adjusting speed & feed, monitoring temperature, & finish material specification per customers order.
Overlook daily operations of single/twin screw extruders and packaging of finish product.

Production worker vs general machine operator skills

Common production worker skills

Production Process, 15%
Safety Procedures, 10%
Assembly Line, 10%
Basic Math, 10%
Quality Standards, 6%
Pallet Jack, 5%

Common general machine operator skills

Math, 12%
CNC, 10%
Safety Procedures, 10%
Troubleshoot, 9%
Production Process, 8%
Machine Operation, 6%

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Production Worker vs General Machine Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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