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The differences between warehouse associates and warehouse technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a warehouse technician has an average salary of $34,985, which is higher than the $32,863 average annual salary of a warehouse associate.
The top three skills for a warehouse associate include pallets, work ethic and customer service. The most important skills for a warehouse technician are customer service, pallets, and customer orders.
| Warehouse Associate | Warehouse Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $32,863 | $34,985 |
| Hourly rate | $15.80 | $16.82 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 215,910 | 231,431 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 50% | High School Diploma, 39% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Warehouse associates are employees who take on any task needed at the company warehouse. They receive incoming deliveries, store the items in their proper places, scan the items to log them into the company system, manage stocks and inventory, conduct product inspection to check for damages or defects, and maintain the overall cleanliness of the warehouse. Warehouse associates are also responsible for receiving purchase orders, assembling and packing products related to orders, checking the accuracy of the products relative to the order, and ensuring proper shipment of the products.
A warehouse technician is responsible for monitoring the incoming and outgoing goods and services in the warehouse or distribution centers. Warehouse technicians verify shipment details, assist with packaging items, move merchandise to storage areas, inspect the quality of items for release, and escalate defective products for immediate replacement. They also operate various warehouse equipment and machinery, conduct maintenance repairs, and loading and unloading items from the delivery trucks. A warehouse technician must have excellent time-management and organizational skills, especially on processing orders and creating reports for inventory receipts.
Warehouse associates and warehouse technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Warehouse Associate | Warehouse Technician | |
| Average salary | $32,863 | $34,985 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $40,000 | Between $28,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | Portland, OR | Kent, WA |
| Highest paying state | North Dakota | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Uline | Freeport-McMoRan |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a warehouse associate and a warehouse technician in terms of educational background:
| Warehouse Associate | Warehouse Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 50% | High School Diploma, 39% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between warehouse associates' and warehouse technicians' demographics:
| Warehouse Associate | Warehouse Technician | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 73.7% Female, 26.3% | Male, 86.3% Female, 13.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 20.2% Asian, 6.7% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 6.5% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |