How To Become A Stacker: What It Is and Career Path

What is a stacker and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Stackers usually work from worksite to within or near the plant and the yard. They typically load, unload onto or from pallets, trays, racks, and shelves by hand or using tools. They also read work orders or follow oral instructions to ascertain materials or containers to be carried.

Your job often includes opening containers using steel cutters, crowbars, claw hammers, or extra hand tools. You may also be loading stuff into carriers, installing strapping, bracing, or padding to limit shifting or damage in transit, using hand tools, and likewise conducting materials to or from storage or work sites to an indicated area.

Since an academic degree is not compulsory, you can probably hold a college degree or high school diploma and apply for the role. However, most employers might prefer your packing, forklift experience, and lumber skills. As a stacker, you can usually attain up to $27,580 as your annual average salary.

ScoreStackerUS Average

Salary

2.3

Avg. Salary $29,046

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.4

Growth Rate 6%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.06%

Asian 5.78%

Black or African American 12.93%

Hispanic or Latino 21.17%

Unknown 5.14%

White 53.92%

Gender

female 14.10%

male 85.90%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress Level

6.4

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

4.7

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.4

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a stacker

Explore stacker education requirements

Most common stacker degrees

High School Diploma

61.2 %

Diploma

16.2 %

Associate

9.3 %

Start to develop specific stacker skills

Skills	Percentages
Pallets	37.18%
Electric Pallet Jack	27.81%
Safety Procedures	5.00%
Stack Boxes	4.72%
Stackers	3.78%

Complete relevant stacker training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New stackers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a stacker based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real stacker resumes.

Research stacker duties and responsibilities

Prep shipping boxes and pallets according to customer specifications.
Stack trays on dollies for cleaning.
Monitor personal being around hazardous materials (lead) with PPE.
Stack loaves of bread onto racks on separate dollies for loading on delivery trucks.

Prepare your stacker resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your stacker resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a stacker resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Stacker Resume templates

Build a professional Stacker resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Stacker resume.

Apply for stacker jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a stacker job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do stackers rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

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1 Star

Stacker reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019

Pros

Honest day's work honest day's pay.