What is a Manufacturing Potter?
Position Description Operate production machines such as pug mill, jigger machine, or potter’s wheel to process clay in manufacture of ceramic, pottery and stoneware products.
Life As a Manufacturing Potter: What Do They Do?
- Smooth surfaces of finished pieces, using rubber scrapers and wet sponges.
- Maintain supplies of tools, equipment, and materials, and order additional supplies as needed.
- Prepare work for sale or exhibition, and maintain relationships with retail, pottery, art, and resource networks that can facilitate sale or exhibition of work.
- Press thumbs into centers of revolving clay to form hollows, and press on the inside and outside of emerging clay cylinders with hands and fingers, gradually raising and shaping clay to desired forms and sizes.
- Mix and apply glazes, and load glazed pieces into kilns for firing.
- Position balls of clay in centers of potters' wheels, and start motors or pump treadles with feet to revolve wheels.
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What a Manufacturing Potter Should Know
Below is a list of the skills most Manufacturing Potters say are important on the job.
Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Related Job Titles
- Jiggerman
- Manufacturing Potter
- Ceramic Artist
- Mold Maker
- Potter
Are There Job Opportunities for Manufacturing Potters?
In the United States, there were 43,000 jobs for Manufacturing Potter in 2016. There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Manufacturing Potter. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 4,200 job openings in this field each year.

The states with the most job growth for Manufacturing Potter are Utah, Nevada, and Alabama. Watch out if you plan on working in Vermont, Ohio, or Virginia. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Manufacturing Potter Salary
The average yearly salary of a Manufacturing Potter ranges between $22,910 and $51,010.

Manufacturing Potters who work in Vermont, New Jersey, or Rhode Island, make the highest salaries.
How much do Manufacturing Potters make in each U.S. state?
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $32,960 |
Arizona | $32,620 |
Arkansas | $31,330 |
California | $36,050 |
Colorado | $37,090 |
Connecticut | $36,480 |
Delaware | $34,770 |
Florida | $29,470 |
Georgia | $31,480 |
Hawaii | $39,800 |
Idaho | $37,530 |
Illinois | $39,230 |
Indiana | $35,150 |
Iowa | $36,770 |
Kansas | $37,780 |
Kentucky | $34,470 |
Louisiana | $29,950 |
Maine | $34,520 |
Maryland | $36,490 |
Massachusetts | $35,310 |
Michigan | $32,780 |
Minnesota | $37,510 |
Mississippi | $33,130 |
Missouri | $33,680 |
Montana | $36,710 |
Nebraska | $55,090 |
Nevada | $32,840 |
New Hampshire | $35,040 |
New Jersey | $45,180 |
New Mexico | $37,500 |
New York | $37,080 |
North Carolina | $34,850 |
North Dakota | $35,520 |
Ohio | $34,710 |
Oklahoma | $33,880 |
Oregon | $35,980 |
Pennsylvania | $34,240 |
Rhode Island | $42,220 |
South Carolina | $40,650 |
Tennessee | $32,370 |
Texas | $33,520 |
Utah | $36,120 |
Vermont | $46,110 |
Virginia | $35,050 |
Washington | $40,030 |
West Virginia | $40,370 |
Wisconsin | $34,000 |
What Tools do Manufacturing Potters Use?
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Manufacturing Potters:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Outlook
- Inventory control software
How do I Become a Manufacturing Potter?
Individuals working as a Manufacturing Potter have obtained the following education levels:

What work experience do I need to become a Manufacturing Potter?

Where do Manufacturing Potters Work?

The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

You May Also Be Interested In…
Those thinking about becoming a Manufacturing Potter might also be interested in the following careers:
References:
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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