Production Operator demographics and statistics in the US
Production operator demographics research summary. Zippia estimates production operator demographics and statistics in the United States by using a database of 30 million profiles. Our production operator estimates are verified against BLS, Census, and current job openings data for accuracy. Zippia's data science team found the following key facts about production operators after extensive research and analysis:
- There are over 744,953 production operators currently employed in the United States.
- 32.3% of all production operators are women, while 67.7% are men.
- The average production operator age is 43 years old.
- The most common ethnicity of production operators is White (57.8%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (17.7%), Black or African American (11.5%) and Asian (7.8%).
- In 2022, women earned 92% of what men earned.
- 5% of all production operators are LGBT.
- Production operators are 49% more likely to work at public companies in comparison to private companies.
On This Page
Production Operator demographics by:
Production Operator gender statistics
32.3% of production operators are women and 67.7% of production operators are men.
- Male, 67.7%
- Female, 32.3%
Production Operator gender ratio
| Gender | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Male | 67.7% |
| Female | 32.3% |
Production Operator gender pay gap
Women earn 92¢ for every $1 earned by men
Male Income
$37,604
Female Income
$34,485
Production Operator gender ratio over time
This data breaks down the percentage of men and women in production operator positions over time. Currently, 32.3% of production operators are female.
Production Operator gender ratio by year
| Year | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 66.24% | 33.76% |
| 2011 | 66.39% | 33.61% |
| 2012 | 66.42% | 33.58% |
| 2013 | 67.04% | 32.96% |
| 2014 | 67.44% | 32.56% |
| 2015 | 68.43% | 31.57% |
| 2016 | 67.68% | 32.32% |
| 2017 | 66.94% | 33.06% |
| 2018 | 69.28% | 30.72% |
| 2019 | 68.45% | 31.55% |
| 2020 | 67.16% | 32.84% |
| 2021 | 67.67% | 32.33% |
Production Operator related jobs gender ratio
We compared production operators with similar job titles to see how gender ratios vary. As you can see, corrugator and stone cutter have the biggest gender ratio gaps.
| Job Title | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Screen Examiner | 7% | 93% |
| Cake Decorator | 9% | 91% |
| Garment Inspector | 10% | 90% |
| Production Operator | 68% | 32% |
| Bucket Operator | 99% | 1% |
| Stone Cutter | 99% | 1% |
| Corrugator | 99% | 1% |
Male
Female
100%
75%
50%
25%
0%
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Production Operator demographics by race
The most common ethnicity among production operators is White, which makes up 57.8% of all production operators. Comparatively, 17.7% of production operators are Hispanic or Latino and 11.5% of production operators are Black or African American.
- White, 57.8%
- Hispanic or Latino, 17.7%
- Black or African American, 11.5%
- Asian, 7.8%
- Unknown, 4.2%
- American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
Production Operator Race
| Production Operator Race | Percentages |
|---|---|
| White | 57.8% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 17.7% |
| Black or African American | 11.5% |
| Asian | 7.8% |
| Unknown | 4.2% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.0% |
Production Operator race and ethnicity over time
See how production operator racial and ethnic diversity trended since 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau data.
- White
- Asian
- Hispanic or Latino
- Black or African American
Production Operator race and ethnicity by year
| Year | White | Black or African American | Asian | Hispanic or Latino |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 62.11% | 12.73% | 6.77% | 16.11% |
| 2011 | 62.78% | 12.88% | 6.71% | 15.24% |
| 2012 | 61.46% | 12.84% | 6.79% | 16.73% |
| 2013 | 62.68% | 12.32% | 6.63% | 16.10% |
| 2014 | 61.94% | 12.31% | 6.55% | 16.66% |
| 2015 | 62.79% | 12.30% | 6.83% | 15.61% |
| 2016 | 61.66% | 12.37% | 6.84% | 16.45% |
| 2017 | 60.68% | 13.01% | 6.96% | 16.61% |
| 2018 | 62.19% | 11.99% | 7.12% | 16.17% |
| 2019 | 63.47% | 11.58% | 6.87% | 15.45% |
| 2020 | 60.67% | 11.58% | 7.83% | 15.47% |
| 2021 | 57.85% | 11.49% | 7.84% | 17.72% |
Production Operator wage gap by race
According to our data, white production operators have the highest average salary compared to other ethnicities. Black or african american production operators have the lowest average salary at $36,706.
| Ethnicity | Salary |
|---|---|
| Unknown | $38,154 |
| White | $38,712 |
| Black or African American | $36,706 |
| Asian | $37,295 |
| Hispanic or Latino | $37,190 |
Average production operator age
See how the average age of production operators varies based on ethnicity and gender.
Male
Female
Production Operator age by race and gender
| Race | Male Age | Female Age |
|---|---|---|
| Black or African American | 42 | 45 |
| Unknown | 39 | 42 |
| Asian | 46 | 46 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 42 | 45 |
| White | 43 | 48 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 38 | 50 |
Production Operator age breakdown
The average age of production operators is 40+ years years old, representing 59% of the production operator population.
Production Operator age breakdown
| Production Operator Years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| 40+ years | 59% |
| 30-40 years | 24% |
| 20-30 years | 17% |
Production Operator educational attainment
The most common degree for production operators is high school diploma, with 37% of production operators earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are bachelor's degree degree at 26% and bachelor's degree degree at 22%.
- High School Diploma, 37%
- Bachelor's, 26%
- Associate, 22%
- Diploma, 9%
- Other Degrees, 6%
Production Operators by degree level
| Production Operator Degree | Percentages |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma | 37% |
| Bachelor's | 26% |
| Associate | 22% |
| Diploma | 9% |
| Other Degrees | 6% |
Production Operator Jobs You Might Like
Production Operator wage gap by degree level
According to the data, production operators with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $40,047 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, production operators earn a median annual income of $38,017 compared to $37,472 for production operators with an Associate degree.
| Education | Salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $40,047 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $35,523 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $38,017 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $37,472 |
Production Operator employment statistics
Most production operators work for a public in the manufacturing industry.
Company size where production operators work
Below, you can see the size of companies where production operators work.
Production Operator jobs by employer size
| Company Size | Percentages |
|---|---|
| < 50 employees | 3% |
| 50 - 100 employees | 5% |
| 100 - 500 employees | 12% |
| 500 - 1,000 employees | 7% |
| 1,000 - 10,000 employees | 30% |
| > 10,000 employees | 43% |
Production Operator jobs by company type
Employees with the production operator job title have their preferences when it comes to working for a company. For instance, most production operators prefer to work at public companies over private companies.
Production Operator jobs by sector
| Company Type | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Education | 2% |
| Public | 49% |
| Private | 49% |
| Government | 0% |
Production Operator jobs by industry
The most common industries for production operators are manufacturing, professional and automotive.
Production Operator industry statistics
| Industry | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 27% |
| Fortune 500 | 18% |
| Professional | 9% |
| Automotive | 8% |
| Technology | 7% |
| Pharmaceutical | 4% |
| Health Care | 4% |
| Retail | 4% |
| Energy | 4% |
| Transportation | 3% |
| Construction | 3% |
| Finance | 2% |
| Media | 1% |
| Utilities | 1% |
| Hospitality | 1% |
| Education | 1% |
| Agriculture | 1% |
Production Operator turnover and employment statistics
Production Operator unemployment rate over time
The unemployment rate for production operators between 2008 and the most recent data has varied, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Unemployment rate
Production Operator unemployment rate by year
| Year | Production Operator Unemployment Rate |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 13.80% |
| 2011 | 11.43% |
| 2012 | 10.36% |
| 2013 | 9.15% |
| 2014 | 7.55% |
| 2015 | 6.34% |
| 2016 | 5.52% |
| 2017 | 5.19% |
| 2018 | 4.89% |
| 2019 | 4.28% |
| 2020 | 6.59% |
| 2021 | 6.08% |
Average production operator tenure
The average production operator stays at their job for 1-2 years, based on the 24,052 production operators resumes in Zippia's database.
Production Operator tenure statistics
| Number of years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Less than 1 year | 26% |
| 1-2 years | 31% |
| 3-4 years | 13% |
| 5-7 years | 15% |
| 8-10 years | 6% |
| 11+ years | 9% |
Production Operator LGBT ratio compared to similar jobs
Review the percent of production operators that are members of the LGBT community. You can see how this compares to similar jobs in the chart below.
| Job Title | LGBT | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|
| Spool Sorter | 4.47% | 18,445 |
| Bander Operator | 4.75% | 45,852 |
| Production Operator | 4.90% | - |
| Job Setter | 7.84% | 36,713 |
| Sterile Products Processor | 8.41% | 11,615 |
| Loading Dock Helper | 8.89% | 15,180 |
| Photography Spotter | 15.21% | 745 |
Similar production operator jobs LGBT demographics
| Profession | Percentages of LGBT | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|
| Spool Sorter | 4.47% | 18,445 |
| Bander Operator | 4.75% | 45,852 |
| Job Setter | 7.84% | 36,713 |
| Sterile Products Processor | 8.41% | 11,615 |
| Loading Dock Helper | 8.89% | 15,180 |
| Photography Spotter | 15.21% | 745 |
Foreign languages spoken by production operators
The most common foreign language among production operators is Spanish at 65.4%. The second-most popular foreign language spoken is French at 6.7% and Portuguese is the third-most popular at 2.8%.
- Spanish, 65.4%
- French, 6.7%
- Portuguese, 2.8%
- Vietnamese, 2.1%
- Russian, 2.1%
- Other, 20.9%
Production Operator languages spoken
| Foreign Language | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Spanish | 65.4% |
| French | 6.7% |
| Portuguese | 2.8% |
| Vietnamese | 2.1% |
| Russian | 2.1% |
| Other | 20.9% |