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The differences between shop foremen and shop leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a shop foreman and a shop lead. Additionally, a shop foreman has an average salary of $68,171, which is higher than the $48,007 average annual salary of a shop lead.
The top three skills for a shop foreman include customer service, preventative maintenance and CDL. The most important skills for a shop lead are customer service, safety procedures, and math.
| Shop Foreman | Shop Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $68,171 | $48,007 |
| Hourly rate | $32.77 | $23.08 |
| Growth rate | 5% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 16,599 | 16,766 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 37% | High School Diploma, 33% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A shop foreman is responsible for monitoring the daily operations of a shop, ensuring that the staff members perform their duties to address customers' needs. A shop foreman manages staffing schedules, trains new employees, and distributes tasks. They often work in manufacturing, automotive, and warehouse industries, which require knowledge of operating equipment. A shop foreman must have excellent leadership and communication skills, especially on addressing customers' inquiries and complaints and performing clerical tasks as needed.
A shop lead is responsible for overseeing their crew. They ensure the safety of their crew by giving regular training. They also ensure the quality and quantity of the work put out by the shop. They manage the daily work of their shop, assist machinists, report to shop managers, and handle customer service.
Shop foremen and shop leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Shop Foreman | Shop Lead | |
| Average salary | $68,171 | $48,007 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $97,000 | Between $28,000 And $81,000 |
| Highest paying City | Gillette, WY | Chicago, IL |
| Highest paying state | Wyoming | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Freightliner Trucks | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Energy | - |
There are a few differences between a shop foreman and a shop lead in terms of educational background:
| Shop Foreman | Shop Lead | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 37% | High School Diploma, 33% |
| Most common major | Automotive Technology | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY Farmingdale | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between shop foremen' and shop leads' demographics:
| Shop Foreman | Shop Lead | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 97.0% Female, 3.0% | Male, 87.3% Female, 12.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 5.3% White, 60.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 5.1% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |