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The differences between saw operators and mill operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a mill operator has an average salary of $39,045, which is higher than the $32,319 average annual salary of a saw operator.
The top three skills for a saw operator include tape measure, hand tools and basic math. The most important skills for a mill operator are CNC, OSHA, and math.
| Saw Operator | Mill Operator | |
| Yearly salary | $32,319 | $39,045 |
| Hourly rate | $15.54 | $18.77 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 58,465 | 64,574 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 56% | High School Diploma, 49% |
| Average age | 45 | 43 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
Saw operators are responsible for setting up and operating power saws to slot, cut, and trim metallic and non-metallic materials. They are the ones who choose and install blades on machinery using hand-tools and verify dimensions of finished material using measuring devices. They may perform additional tasks such as loading saws and monitoring sawing operations, and replacing damaged or worn saw blades. Saw operators are also responsible for recording data on production reports and assisting staff with the maintenance and repair of saw equipment.
Mill operators are skilled employees who are responsible for operating and maintaining milling machines that grind materials such as rocks or chemicals at a milling facility. These operators must gather raw materials for production and assist with the inventory of all materials. They must operate a wide variety of equipment such as power saws, sanders, drill press, and basic hand tools while performing regular maintenance and troubleshooting on the milling machines. Mill operators must also attend safety meetings that are held weekly and monthly to ensure machine operators are following safety procedures.
Saw operators and mill operators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Saw Operator | Mill Operator | |
| Average salary | $32,319 | $39,045 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $38,000 | Between $31,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | Springfield, OR | San Jose, CA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Micro Metals Inc. | Freeport-McMoRan |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Construction |
There are a few differences between a saw operator and a mill operator in terms of educational background:
| Saw Operator | Mill Operator | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 56% | High School Diploma, 49% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between saw operators' and mill operators' demographics:
| Saw Operator | Mill Operator | |
| Average age | 45 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.2% Female, 9.8% | Male, 92.5% Female, 7.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 1.1% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 14.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 2.4% White, 62.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 4% |