Trimmer operator vs wood cutter

The differences between trimmer operators and wood cutters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a wood cutter has an average salary of $34,692, which is higher than the $33,440 average annual salary of a trimmer operator.

The top three skills for a trimmer operator include OSHA, PPE and CDL. The most important skills for a wood cutter are RAN, assembly line, and circular saws.

Trimmer operator vs wood cutter overview

	Trimmer Operator	Wood Cutter
Yearly salary	$33,440	$34,692
Hourly rate	$16.08	$16.68
Growth rate	5%	3%
Number of jobs	47,169	4,606
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 63%	High School Diploma, 81%
Average age	46	45
Years of experience	-	-

Trimmer operator vs wood cutter salary

Trimmer operators and wood cutters have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Trimmer Operator	Wood Cutter
Average salary	$33,440	$34,692
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $41,000	Between $26,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between trimmer operator and wood cutter education

There are a few differences between a trimmer operator and a wood cutter in terms of educational background:

	Trimmer Operator	Wood Cutter
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 63%	High School Diploma, 81%
Most common major	General Studies	Business
Most common college	-	-

Trimmer operator vs wood cutter demographics

Here are the differences between trimmer operators' and wood cutters' demographics:

	Trimmer Operator	Wood Cutter
Average age	46	45
Gender ratio	Male, 77.7% Female, 22.3%	Male, 88.2% Female, 11.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 3.2% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 6.3% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 1.1% White, 65.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	10%	6%

Differences between trimmer operator and wood cutter duties and responsibilities

Trimmer operator example responsibilities.

Control & troubleshoot automate extrusion line adjusting speed & feed, monitoring temperature, & finish material specification per customers order.
Follow all safety work procedures, ANSI pruning practices and industry standards.

Wood cutter example responsibilities.

Work at a family own and run lumber yard.
Responsibilitiesverify correct size glass being run for order.
Responsibilitiesverify correct size glass being run for order.

Trimmer operator vs wood cutter skills

Common trimmer operator skills

OSHA, 47%
PPE, 27%
CDL, 11%
Machine Operation, 6%
Safety Equipment, 3%
Hand Tools, 2%

Common wood cutter skills

RAN, 42%
Assembly Line, 30%
Circular Saws, 28%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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