Careers / First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers
First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$74,450
United States, 2025
Employment
673,430
United States, 2025
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Job Zone 3
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Directly supervise and coordinate the activities of production and operating workers, such as inspectors, precision workers, machine setters and operators, assemblers, fabricators, and plant and system operators. Excludes team or work leaders.
- O*NET code
- 51-1011.00
- Job zone
- 3
- Experience required
- Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years
Typical tasks
- Keep records of employees' attendance and hours worked.
- Enforce safety and sanitation regulations.
- Inspect materials, products, or equipment to detect defects or malfunctions.
- Read and analyze charts, work orders, production schedules, and other records and reports to determine production requirements and to evaluate current production estimates and outputs.
- Plan and establish work schedules, assignments, and production sequences to meet production goals.
- Confer with other supervisors to coordinate operations and activities within or between departments.
- Interpret specifications, blueprints, job orders, and company policies and procedures for workers.
- Observe work and monitor gauges, dials, and other indicators to ensure that operators conform to production or processing standards.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$47,130
25th percentile
$58,630
75th percentile
$91,680
90th percentile
$108,750
Most important skills
- Time Management3.9
- Active Listening3.9
- Management of Personnel Resources3.9
- Speaking3.9
- Social Perceptiveness3.8
- Monitoring3.8
- Critical Thinking3.8
- Coordination3.8
- Judgment and Decision Making3.6
- Reading Comprehension3.5
- Writing3.1
- Active Learning3.1
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 22 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
22
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active Listening | 3.9 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Time Management | 3.9 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | 3.9 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Speaking | 3.9 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.8 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Monitoring | 3.8 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Coordination | 3.8 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.8 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.5 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.6 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Writing | 3.1 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.1 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.1 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Active Learning | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Persuasion | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Instructing | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Negotiation | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Service Orientation | 3.0 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
Related careers
Supplemental
National median not published
Compare with First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersSupplemental
National median $59,650
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Compare with First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersSupplemental
National median $102,440
Compare with First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bremerton, WA | $115,340 | 500 | 2025 |
| Norwich, CT | $105,690 | 1,000 | 2025 |
| Lexington Park, MD | $99,980 | 130 | 2025 |
| Baton Rouge, LA | $95,810 | 2,270 | 2025 |
| Lake Charles, LA | $92,560 | 750 | 2025 |
| Spartanburg, SC | $92,070 | 2,380 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $91,500 | 5,050 | 2025 |
| Decatur, IL | $91,450 | 350 | 2025 |
| WY | $90,390 | 1,470 | 2025 |
| San Jose, CA | $89,970 | 2,440 | 2025 |
| Paducah, KY | $87,030 | 290 | 2025 |
| Albany, NY | $87,000 | 1,410 | 2025 |
| Fairbanks, AK | $85,650 | 70 | 2025 |
| Boulder, CO | $84,880 | 950 | 2025 |
| Decatur, AL | $84,270 | 950 | 2025 |
| Greenville, NC | $84,260 | 300 | 2025 |
| Hartford, CT | $84,160 | 3,880 | 2025 |
| Hanford, CA | $84,010 | 240 | 2025 |
| Kokomo, IN | $83,500 | 260 | 2025 |
| CT | $83,150 | 9,150 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.