Research Summary. After extensive research by the Zippia data science team, we identified these details of equipment operator salary by state for the United States:
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Connecticut has the highest equipment operator salary of $45,629
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Mississippi has the lowest equipment operator salary of $21,157
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The national average salary for equipment operators is $31,739
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The national hourly pay for equipment operators is $15.26
You can read more on the specific methodology.
Background
Without fail, in surveys across basically every demographic, the number one most important aspect of a job for most people is the salary — how much do equipment operators get paid where I live?
And while there are many things to go into how much you, specifically, can expect to make, there’s really good data for average salaries for equipment operator by state across America broken down by seniority level. So while your city may be slightly different than the state average, these averages give you a rough sense of what to expect for your salary.
The state with the best salary for equipment operators after this adjustment? That would be Connecticut.
Here’s a quick snapshot of the top ten states for equipment operator salaries:
Let’s take a look at how we got here and a full ranking of all the states.
Highest-Paid Equipment Operators By State
| Rank | State | Average Equipment Operator Salary | 10th Percentile | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connecticut | $45,629 | $36,000 | $57,000 |
| 2 | New Hampshire | $44,909 | $36,000 | $55,000 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $44,767 | $35,000 | $56,000 |
| 4 | California | $41,909 | $30,000 | $56,000 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $40,772 | $31,000 | $52,000 |
| 6 | Washington | $39,758 | $31,000 | $50,000 |
| 7 | Illinois | $38,047 | $30,000 | $48,000 |
| 8 | Oregon | $38,017 | $29,000 | $49,000 |
| 9 | Alaska | $37,540 | $33,000 | $42,000 |
| 10 | New York | $36,286 | $28,000 | $46,000 |
| 11 | Indiana | $35,988 | $28,000 | $45,000 |
| 12 | Colorado | $35,060 | $27,000 | $44,000 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $35,034 | $28,000 | $42,000 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | $34,803 | $27,000 | $44,000 |
| 15 | Maryland | $34,787 | $27,000 | $44,000 |
| 16 | Ohio | $34,294 | $26,000 | $43,000 |
| 17 | Wisconsin | $33,898 | $27,000 | $42,000 |
| 18 | Michigan | $33,722 | $26,000 | $42,000 |
| 19 | Utah | $33,517 | $25,000 | $43,000 |
| 20 | Missouri | $33,303 | $26,000 | $42,000 |
| 21 | Kentucky | $33,169 | $25,000 | $42,000 |
| 22 | Vermont | $32,844 | $26,000 | $40,000 |
| 23 | Iowa | $32,726 | $26,000 | $40,000 |
| 24 | Wyoming | $32,712 | $26,000 | $41,000 |
| 25 | Nebraska | $32,077 | $25,000 | $40,000 |
| 26 | North Dakota | $32,005 | $27,000 | $37,000 |
| 27 | Nevada | $31,534 | $23,000 | $41,000 |
| 28 | South Dakota | $30,793 | $25,000 | $37,000 |
| 29 | Virginia | $30,644 | $23,000 | $39,000 |
| 30 | Maine | $30,499 | $24,000 | $37,000 |
| 31 | Hawaii | $30,487 | $25,000 | $36,000 |
| 32 | Rhode Island | $30,344 | $24,000 | $38,000 |
| 33 | Delaware | $30,324 | $23,000 | $39,000 |
| 34 | Montana | $30,030 | $24,000 | $37,000 |
| 35 | Idaho | $29,386 | $22,000 | $37,000 |
| 36 | West Virginia | $27,794 | $21,000 | $35,000 |
| 37 | Arizona | $27,776 | $21,000 | $36,000 |
| 38 | Kansas | $27,670 | $21,000 | $34,000 |
| 39 | New Mexico | $27,070 | $20,000 | $35,000 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $26,887 | $21,000 | $34,000 |
| 41 | North Carolina | $25,987 | $20,000 | $33,000 |
| 42 | Georgia | $24,593 | $19,000 | $31,000 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $24,373 | $18,000 | $31,000 |
| 44 | Texas | $24,068 | $18,000 | $30,000 |
| 45 | Louisiana | $23,511 | $18,000 | $29,000 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | $23,390 | $18,000 | $29,000 |
| 47 | Florida | $22,903 | $17,000 | $29,000 |
| 48 | Alabama | $21,733 | $17,000 | $27,000 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $21,584 | $17,000 | $26,000 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $21,157 | $16,000 | $26,000 |
Methodology: Equipment Operator Salary By State
To better understand equipment operator pay by state, Zippia has aggregated data across a multitude of channels including the BLS, FLC, and OPM. We then supplement that data with actual listed salaries from job posts. Finally, the data science team calculates a weighted average of these inputs to create an average pay for equipment operators by state.
We took the average annual salary data for equipment operators from these estimates and ranked every state on this criteria with the state with the highest salary ranking as highest average salary for equipment operators.
Equipment Operator Salary By State FAQs
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What is the highest-paid state for equipment operators?
The highest-paid state for equipment operators is Connecticut with an average salary of $45,629 per year.
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What city pays equipment operators the most?
Indianapolis, IN pays equipment operators the most with an average salary of $35,980 per year.
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What is the worst state for equipment operators?
The worst state for equipment operators is Mississippi with an average salary of $21,157 per year.
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
