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.
How to Become a Warehouse Associate
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a warehouse associate. For example, did you know that they make an average of $15.05 an hour? That's $31,294 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 1% and produce 46,900 job opportunities across the U.S.
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.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a warehouse associate. When we researched the most common majors for a warehouse associate, we found that they most commonly earn high school diploma degrees or associate degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on warehouse associate resumes include bachelor's degree degrees or diploma degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a warehouse associate. In fact, many warehouse associate jobs require experience in a role such as cashier. Meanwhile, many warehouse associates also have previous career experience in roles such as sales associate or customer service representative.
Warehouse 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 $31,294 per year or $15 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $37,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $26,000 per year.
Average Warehouse Associate Salary
$31,294Â Yearly$15.05 hourly
$26,000
10 %
$31,000
Median
$37,000
90 %
What Am I Worth?
0 selections
0 selections
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, 12.2% of warehouse associates listed customer service 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 Demographics
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 59.9% 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
Advertising Disclosure  The courses listed below are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the course, we may receive a commission.
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...
Customer Service Mastery: Delight Every Customer
Master Customer Service using this practical customer care course...
Fundamentals of Logistics, Supply Chain & Customer Service
Learn Logistics, Supply Chain and Customer Service. 3 Courses in 1...
Job type you want
Full Time
Part Time
Internship
Temporary
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 Illinois, Indiana, Oregon, and Washington. Warehouse associates make the most in Illinois with an average salary of $37,880. Whereas in Indiana and Oregon, they would average $36,652 and $35,288, respectively. While warehouse associates would only make an average of $35,085 in Washington, 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. Indiana
Total Warehouse Associate Jobs:
2,599
Highest 10% Earn:
$45,000
Location Quotient:
1.64 Location Quotient is a measure used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to determine how concentrated a certain industry is in a single state compared to the nation as a whole. You can read more about how BLS calculates location quotients here
$36,652
Avg. Salary
2. Illinois
Total Warehouse Associate Jobs:
3,029
Highest 10% Earn:
$47,000
Location Quotient:
1.05 Location Quotient is a measure used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to determine how concentrated a certain industry is in a single state compared to the nation as a whole. You can read more about how BLS calculates location quotients here
$37,880
Avg. Salary
3. Wisconsin
Total Warehouse Associate Jobs:
1,717
Highest 10% Earn:
$41,000
Location Quotient:
1.29 Location Quotient is a measure used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to determine how concentrated a certain industry is in a single state compared to the nation as a whole. You can read more about how BLS calculates location quotients here
$33,041
Avg. Salary
How Do Warehouse Associate Rate Their Jobs?
Top Warehouse Associate Employers
Most Common Employers For Warehouse Associate
| Rank  | Company  | Average Salary  | Hourly Rate  | Job Openings  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Home Depot | $35,059 | $16.86 | 1,518 |
| 2 | Cardinal Health | $34,648 | $16.66 | 1,594 |
| 3 | Sears Holdings | $34,023 | $16.36 | 825 |
| 4 | Kohl's | $33,849 | $16.27 | 811 |
| 5 | Walmart | $33,391 | $16.05 | 2,176 |
| 6 | Amazon | $33,039 | $15.88 | 20,897 |
| 7 | Office Depot | $32,742 | $15.74 | 714 |
| 8 | Capstone Logistics | $32,486 | $15.62 | 1,351 |
| 9 | FedEx | $32,479 | $15.61 | 736 |
| 10 | HD Supply | $32,476 | $15.61 | 634 |
Warehouse Associate Videos
A Day in the Life of a UNFI Warehouse Associate: See What It's Like!
$23,852: Average Pay for Amazon Warehouse Associate
What Does a Warehouse Inventory Control Clerk Do? : Career Advice & More
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.
Search For Warehouse Associate Jobs
0 selections
0 selections