Production Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages High openings flow SOC 51-1011

First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers

About 67,700 projected annual openings shape how to read First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers against Nuclear Power Reactor Operators, Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers, Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators, Tool and Die Makers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers: Nuclear Power Reactor Operators ($123K) , Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers ($63K) , Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators ($79K) , Tool and Die Makers ($64K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 51-1011 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Enforce safety and sanitation regulations
  2. 2. Keep records of employees' attendance and hours worked
  3. 3. Inspect materials, products, or equipment to detect defects or malfunctions
  4. 4. Read and analyze charts, work orders, production schedules, and other records and reports to determine production requirements and to eva…
  5. 5. Plan and establish work schedules, assignments, and production sequences to meet production goals
  6. 6. Confer with other supervisors to coordinate operations and activities within or between departments
  7. 7. Interpret specifications, blueprints, job orders, and company policies and procedures for workers
  8. 8. Observe work and monitor gauges, dials, and other indicators to ensure that operators conform to production or processing standards
  9. 9. Direct and coordinate the activities of employees engaged in the production or processing of goods, such as inspectors, machine setters…
  10. 10. Conduct employee training in equipment operations or work and safety procedures, or assign employee training to experienced workers
  11. 11. Evaluate employee performance
  12. 12. Confer with management or subordinates to resolve worker problems, complaints, or grievances

O*NET skills and knowledge for First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 51-1011 - entity-keyed; sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 3.9
  2. 2. Speaking 3.9
  3. 3. Time Management 3.9
  4. 4. Management of Personnel Resources 3.9
  5. 5. Critical Thinking 3.8
  6. 6. Monitoring 3.8
  7. 7. Social Perceptiveness 3.8
  8. 8. Coordination 3.8

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Production and Processing 4.3
  2. 2. Administration and Management 4.1
  3. 3. Personnel and Human Resources 3.6
  4. 4. English Language 3.5
  5. 5. Computers and Electronics 3.2
  6. 6. Mathematics 3.2
Projected annual openings
67,700
growth + transfers + exits
National median $74,450/yr
$74K
National median
↑ +1%
Growth 2024-2034
673,430
Estimated US jobs
Nuclear Power Reactor Operators
Highest-pay peer · $123K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent
Related experience Less than 5 years

Top Paying States for First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers

1. Delaware $79,100
2. District of Columbia $80,030
3. New Hampshire $79,310
4. Wyoming $90,390
5. New Jersey $81,110
6. Washington $79,310
7. Rhode Island $81,650
8. Massachusetts $79,920
9. Connecticut $83,150
10. Maine $78,970

Other Production Occupations titles

  1. 1. Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators $78,620
  2. 2. Tool and Die Makers $64,050
  3. 3. Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers $65,380
  4. 4. Power Plant Operators $102,040
  5. 5. Nuclear Power Reactor Operators $122,890
  6. 6. Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers $62,750

Roughly 67,700 projected annual openings (growth, transfers, exits) are the scale signal for First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers. Median pay is $74,450 in Production Occupations.

Employment Projections expect +1% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry and less than 5 years as the typical related-work-experience category. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Delaware at $79,100. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Nuclear Power Reactor Operators at $122,890. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Share This Career Card

LinkedIn X / Twitter
Full Salary Details Browse All Cards

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024–2034.

Dive into First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers in more depth or explore nearby career data.

Full Salary Details

State, metro, and percentile breakdown

Jobs in Delaware

Top-paying state for this role

Jobs in District of Columbia

Second-highest state pay

Nuclear Power Reactor Operators

Highest-pay peer · $123K

Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers

Lower-pay peer · $63K

All Career Cards

Browse every occupation card

Highest-Paying Rankings

Top careers nationwide

Compare Side-by-Side

Head-to-head with another role
Compare First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers with another occupation →

Openings and labor-flow next reads

Most Openings Rankings

Labor-flow scale across occupations

Compare openings side-by-side

Head-to-head with another role

Frequently Asked Questions

What do first-line supervisors of production and operating workers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers. Leading ones include: Enforce safety and sanitation regulations; Keep records of employees' attendance and hours worked; 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 eva…. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for first-line supervisors of production and operating workers? ▼
For SOC 51-1011, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (3.9), Speaking (3.9), Time Management (3.9), Management of Personnel Resources (3.9). Knowledge areas emphasize Production and Processing, Administration and Management, Personnel and Human Resources. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How does First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers sit next to other Production Occupations titles? ▼
On this card, neighboring same-major-group titles include Nuclear Power Reactor Operators, Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers, Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators, Tool and Die Makers. Among those peers, Nuclear Power Reactor Operators holds the highest published national median ($122,890). Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers sits lower at $62,750. Peer titles are hash-ordered per card so adjacent SOC pages do not share an identical ladder.
What is the median salary for First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers? ▼
The median salary for First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers is $74,450 per year according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025 OEWS data). This means half of workers in this occupation earn more and half earn less. The full range is $47,130 (10th percentile) to $108,750 (90th percentile). For context beside Nuclear Power Reactor Operators ($122,890), this role's median is the OEWS national figure above.
Is First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers a growing occupation? ▼
The BLS projects +1% employment change for First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers from 2024 to 2034. There are approximately 67,700 projected annual openings. This is about as fast as average relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%.
What education do you need to become a first-line supervisors of production and operating workers? ▼
BLS assigns First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers to High school diploma or equivalent for typical education needed for entry. The typical related-work-experience assignment is less than 5 years. These occupation-level categories are not requirements for every employer or worker.
Which states pay first-line supervisors of production and operating workers the most? ▼
The highest published state medians in this ranking for First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers are Delaware ($79,100), District of Columbia ($80,030), New Hampshire ($79,310). The table does not identify why state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024–2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

All federal data sources used on this page
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - wage estimates by area + occupation. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - occupation task statements (importance-ranked). onetcenter.org
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) - quarterly employment and wage totals by industry. bls.gov/cew
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for metro/state aggregates. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics (CES) - monthly nonfarm payroll baselines. bls.gov/ces
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context. irs.gov/statistics
  • BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) - unemployment context for labor-market comparisons. bls.gov/lau