The majority of the job responsibilities for a warehouse associate revolve around stock. You'll either be accepting a stock order, placing an order, or managing the stock.
Normally, to work as a warehouse associate, you need a high school diploma. Some employers may even want you to have some experience with inventory software. You might even need a forklift driving certification because some of those stock orders are going to be heavy.
As a warehouse associate, you'll probably work some strange hours, like super early in the morning or maybe even late at night. Your schedule really depends on when the shipment is set to arrive.
What is a Warehouse Associate?
What Does a Warehouse Associate Do
There are certain skills that many warehouse associates have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed customer-service skills, detail oriented and math skills.
How To Become a Warehouse Associate
If you're interested in becoming a warehouse associate, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 15.5% of warehouse associates have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 0.8% of warehouse associates have master's degrees. Even though some warehouse associates have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Warehouse Associate Job Description
Warehouse associates are usually junior or entry-level members of a warehouse management team who work on different tasks as needed in the workplace. These activities include managing the warehouse inventory, ensuring proper restocking of shelves, receiving and handling deliveries, processing orders, and managing packages that will be sent out of the warehouse.
Learn more about Warehouse Associate Job DescriptionWarehouse Associate Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a warehouse associate can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as machine operator, progress to a title such as technician and then eventually end up with the title operations manager.
Warehouse Associate
Operations Manager
7 Years
Co-Owner
6 Years
Service Manager
6 Years
Branch Manager
6 Years
Area Manager
7 Years
Warehouse Manager
5 Years
Show More
Average Salary for a Warehouse Associate
Warehouse Associates in America make an average salary of $32,863 per year or $16 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $40,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $26,000 per year.
Average Warehouse Associate Salary
$32,863Â Yearly$15.80 hourly
What Am I Worth?
Roles and Types of Warehouse Associate
The role of a warehouse associate includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general warehouse associate responsibilities:
- Process orders according to priority set by supervisor/group lead in order to meet customer requirements receive, pick, package,
- Fulfill client orders accurately and adhere to proper shipping policies for domestic
- Assist with merchandise receiving, checking-in product, accurately completing purchase orders
There are several types of warehouse associate, including:
Warehouse Worker
Role:
If you've ever stepped foot in a warehouse, you know how much trouble is can be around the corner. From forklifts to other fun (albeit dangerous) machinery just waiting to be ridden or played with, it's easy to get hurt. Usually, during work there's not a whole lot of time for play so, hopefully, that saves you from a hefty medical bill.
As a warehouse worker, you'll have plenty of work to keep your mind off that machinery. You'll need to receive and process any deliveries of stock or materials that come your way and you may also be in charge of filling out those delivery orders, as well as sending out some deliveries yourself.
While you'll probably only be working eight hours per shift, you may think this job is a breeze. Don't forget that standing around for that long and moving heavy items can take a toll. If you work as a warehouse worker, you'll need to make sure you're taking plenty of breaks during each shift, which I'm sure you'll happily agree to.
- Average Salary: $33,010
- Degree: High School Diploma
Warehouse Clerk
Role:
Warehouse clerks manage a company's stock, unpacking orders and organizing the warehouse, removing products from pallets, and tracking inventory. Their duties are varied, working hours are flexible, and physical fitness is a must for this position.
Warehouse clerks are highly organized and able to work at a fast pace. They will know where to look for misplaced items, how to operate a forklift, and how to get through to a potentially grumpy truck driver.
The more experienced you are on the job, the more money you will make. From entry-level wages averaging around $27,000 a year, you can make your way up to earning $34,000 if you keep at it.
- Average Salary: $31,564
- Degree: High School Diploma
Warehouse Labour
Role:
This personnel is responsible for organizing shipment details. He/She ensures orders are of the correct quantity and free from any defects and mislabeling. He/She prepares them for packaging and updates the inventory accordingly. Also, he/she informs management of production issues for immediate resolution. Besides that, he/she adheres to the regulations guiding loading and unloading items. Furthermore, he/she moves each package to appropriate shelves using warehouse equipment. Additionally, he/she verifies all incoming shipments for accuracy by comparing the invoice to the order. Similarly, he/she ensures all goods are in perfect condition.
The minimum academic requirement for this position is a high school diploma or its equivalent. Applicants must possess interpersonal, attention to detail, problem-solving, teamwork, communication, and organization skills. Most employers prefer applicants with professional forklift certification. You must be able to operate a forklift. This personnel makes an average salary of $27,584 annually, equivalent to $13.26 per hour. It ranges between $23,000 and $32,000.
- Average Salary: $31,746
- Degree: High School Diploma
States With The Most Warehouse Associate Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active warehouse associate jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where warehouse associates earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Average Salary: Job Openings:
Number Of Warehouse Associate Jobs By State
Top Skills For a Warehouse Associate
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 15.5% of warehouse associates listed pallets on their resume, but soft skills such as customer-service skills and detail oriented are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Warehouse Associate Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Warehouse Associate templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Warehouse Associate resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Warehouse Associate diversity
Warehouse Associate Gender Distribution
Male
74%
Female
26%
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among warehouse associates, 26.3% of them are women, while 73.7% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among warehouse associates is White, which makes up 56.5% of all warehouse associates.
- The most common foreign language among warehouse associates is Spanish at 78.4%.
Online Courses For Warehouse Associate That You May Like
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3. OSHA Workplace Safety (General Industry 6 Hr Class)
Learn the requirements and standards associated with OSHA and workplace safety. Safety best practices for the workplace...
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Best States For a Warehouse Associate
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a warehouse associate. The best states for people in this position are North Dakota, Oregon, Washington, and Minnesota. Warehouse associates make the most in North Dakota with an average salary of $36,616. Whereas in Oregon and Washington, they would average $36,024 and $35,952, respectively. While warehouse associates would only make an average of $35,704 in Minnesota, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Wisconsin
Total Warehouse Associate Jobs: 1,717
Highest 10% Earn:
$43,000
Location Quotient:
1.29
$34,558
Avg. Salary
2. Pennsylvania
Total Warehouse Associate Jobs: 4,422
Highest 10% Earn:
$42,000
Location Quotient:
1.58
$33,546
Avg. Salary
3. Nevada
Total Warehouse Associate Jobs: 615
Highest 10% Earn:
$42,000
Location Quotient:
1.22
$34,267
Avg. Salary
How Do Warehouse Associates Rate Their Jobs?
Top Warehouse Associate Employers
Most Common Employers For Warehouse Associate
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HD Supply | $35,733 | $17.18 | 634 |
| 2 | Macy's | $34,904 | $16.78 | 907 |
| 3 | The Home Depot | $34,649 | $16.66 | 1,518 |
| 4 | FedEx | $34,353 | $16.52 | 736 |
| 5 | UPS | $34,332 | $16.51 | 1,384 |
| 6 | Kohl's | $33,916 | $16.31 | 811 |
| 7 | Sears Holdings | $33,794 | $16.25 | 825 |
| 8 | Office Depot | $33,745 | $16.22 | 714 |
| 9 | Cardinal Health | $33,689 | $16.20 | 1,594 |
| 10 | Caterpillar | $33,152 | $15.94 | 765 |
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Becoming a Warehouse Associate FAQs
How Long Does It Take To Become A Warehouse Associate?
It takes 3 years of professional experience to become a warehouse associate. That is the time it takes to learn specific warehouse associate skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education.
Do You Need A College Degree To Work In A Warehouse?
No, you do not need a college degree to work in a warehouse. While the qualifications and skills you need to work in a warehouse will depend on the type of job you plan to pursue, most companies only require a high school diploma.
How Much Does A Warehouse Associate Make An Hour?
A warehouse associate makes approximately $14.00 an hour, on average. Hourly wages can range from $12.00 to $17.00 per hour based on employee experience, company, and location. This pay range represents over 75% of those working as warehouse associates.
What Are Warehouse Duties?
Warehouse duties include the handling, processing, and shipping of customer orders. Associates in the warehouse ensure that what the customer has ordered safely makes it from the warehouse to its destination.
What Do You Feel Are The Most Important Responsibilities Of A Warehouse Associate?
The most important responsibilities of a warehouse associate are to accurately inventory items arriving and departing from the warehouse. Warehouse associates are the link between the consumer and the company.
What Does It Take To Be A Warehouse Associate?
A warehouse associate needs to be organized, have good attention to detail, and be capable of physical labor. This occupation requires both physical and mental skills.
Working in a warehouse is really moving and keeping track of incoming and outgoing inventory. A warehouse associate should be organized in their approach to inventory. Many warehouse positions require the associate to be able to use computer software to track inventory accurately.
What Makes A Good Warehouse Associate?
A good warehouse associate needs to be organized, pay attention to detail, and be capable of physical labor. This occupation requires both physical and mental skills in an often changing work environment. A good warehouse associate needs to be organized, pay attention to detail, and be capable of physical labor. This occupation requires both physical and mental skills in an often changing work environment.
What Qualifications Do You Need To Work In A Warehouse?
The qualifications needed to work in a warehouse are a high school diploma, physical capabilities, and motivation. Most of the skills and safety qualifications needed to work in a warehouse will be learned on the job.
Have more questions? See all answers to common office and administrative questions.