Smelter operator vs open hearth worker

The differences between smelter operators and open hearth workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a smelter operator has an average salary of $32,894, which is higher than the $24,468 average annual salary of an open hearth worker.

The top three skills for a smelter operator include smelting, control room and end loaders. The most important skills for an open hearth worker are open space, , and .

Smelter operator vs open hearth worker overview

	Smelter Operator	Open Hearth Worker
Yearly salary	$32,894	$24,468
Hourly rate	$15.81	$11.76
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	26,336	23,549
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 65%	High School Diploma, 55%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	-	-

Smelter operator vs open hearth worker salary

Smelter operators and open hearth workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Smelter Operator	Open Hearth Worker
Average salary	$32,894	$24,468
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $43,000	Between $12,000 And $46,000
Highest paying City	-	Eagle Pass, TX
Highest paying state	-	Maine
Best paying company	-	Epperson & Company
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between smelter operator and open hearth worker education

There are a few differences between a smelter operator and an open hearth worker in terms of educational background:

	Smelter Operator	Open Hearth Worker
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 65%	High School Diploma, 55%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Psychology
Most common college	-	-

Smelter operator vs open hearth worker demographics

Here are the differences between smelter operators' and open hearth workers' demographics:

	Smelter Operator	Open Hearth Worker
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 95.5% Female, 4.5%	Male, 68.0% Female, 32.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 2.8% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 2.8% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between smelter operator and open hearth worker duties and responsibilities

Smelter operator example responsibilities.

Manage work and heater logs, overtime budget, project delegation and PPE gear inventory.
Demonstrate ability to troubleshoot creatively, solve problems effectively, and make inform decisions while successfully guiding others through constant change.
Assist in the process of extracting CO2 gas from molten copper ore.

Open hearth worker example responsibilities.

Work temporarily for stock building supply company delivering windows and loading/unloading trucks.
General maintenance such as but not limit to HVAC maintenance/repair, electrical maintenance/repair, minor plumbing maintenance/repair.

Smelter operator vs open hearth worker skills

Common smelter operator skills

Smelting, 52%
Control Room, 28%
End Loaders, 13%
Fork-Lift, 7%

Common open hearth worker skills

Open Space, 100%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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