Research Summary. After extensive research by the Zippia data science team, we identified these details of owner/operator salary by state for the United States:
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Oregon has the highest owner/operator salary of $188,607
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Hawaii has the lowest owner/operator salary of $124,852
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The national average salary for owner/operators is $167,288
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The national hourly pay for owner/operators is $80.43
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 owner/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 owner/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 owner/operators after this adjustment? That would be Oregon.
Here’s a quick snapshot of the top ten states for owner/operator salaries:
Let’s take a look at how we got here and a full ranking of all the states.
Highest-Paid Owner/operators By State
| Rank | State | Average Owner/operator Salary | 10th Percentile | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $188,607 | $137,000 | $257,000 |
| 2 | Alaska | $182,238 | $136,000 | $242,000 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $181,529 | $131,000 | $251,000 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $181,411 | $130,000 | $252,000 |
| 5 | Wyoming | $180,627 | $129,000 | $252,000 |
| 6 | Washington | $179,054 | $129,000 | $247,000 |
| 7 | North Dakota | $175,054 | $125,000 | $243,000 |
| 8 | Delaware | $174,779 | $123,000 | $247,000 |
| 9 | Utah | $174,457 | $123,000 | $246,000 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $173,017 | $123,000 | $242,000 |
| 11 | Illinois | $172,352 | $120,000 | $245,000 |
| 12 | Montana | $169,625 | $121,000 | $236,000 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $168,550 | $118,000 | $240,000 |
| 14 | New Jersey | $168,208 | $118,000 | $239,000 |
| 15 | Idaho | $167,170 | $118,000 | $236,000 |
| 16 | California | $167,141 | $115,000 | $241,000 |
| 17 | Vermont | $166,258 | $118,000 | $233,000 |
| 18 | Virginia | $166,157 | $114,000 | $240,000 |
| 19 | Colorado | $165,872 | $114,000 | $239,000 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $165,748 | $116,000 | $235,000 |
| 21 | New York | $165,710 | $116,000 | $236,000 |
| 22 | South Dakota | $165,492 | $116,000 | $235,000 |
| 23 | New Hampshire | $164,872 | $116,000 | $232,000 |
| 24 | Nevada | $164,698 | $113,000 | $238,000 |
| 25 | Arizona | $163,073 | $111,000 | $239,000 |
| 26 | Oklahoma | $162,479 | $110,000 | $238,000 |
| 27 | North Carolina | $162,266 | $110,000 | $237,000 |
| 28 | Wisconsin | $161,699 | $112,000 | $232,000 |
| 29 | Missouri | $161,139 | $110,000 | $235,000 |
| 30 | Iowa | $160,722 | $110,000 | $232,000 |
| 31 | Kansas | $160,522 | $109,000 | $235,000 |
| 32 | Indiana | $160,414 | $110,000 | $233,000 |
| 33 | Nebraska | $159,651 | $109,000 | $231,000 |
| 34 | Maryland | $159,644 | $110,000 | $231,000 |
| 35 | Ohio | $159,503 | $109,000 | $231,000 |
| 36 | Michigan | $158,710 | $109,000 | $229,000 |
| 37 | Kentucky | $157,618 | $106,000 | $232,000 |
| 38 | Maine | $157,412 | $111,000 | $222,000 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $156,426 | $105,000 | $232,000 |
| 40 | Georgia | $155,501 | $103,000 | $232,000 |
| 41 | Louisiana | $154,820 | $102,000 | $233,000 |
| 42 | South Carolina | $154,639 | $103,000 | $231,000 |
| 43 | New Mexico | $154,158 | $103,000 | $229,000 |
| 44 | Mississippi | $154,043 | $102,000 | $231,000 |
| 45 | Arkansas | $153,003 | $102,000 | $228,000 |
| 46 | Texas | $152,130 | $100,000 | $229,000 |
| 47 | West Virginia | $149,339 | $101,000 | $220,000 |
| 48 | Alabama | $147,994 | $97,000 | $224,000 |
| 49 | Florida | $142,129 | $91,000 | $220,000 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $124,852 | $77,000 | $201,000 |
Methodology: Owner/operator Salary By State
To better understand owner/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 owner/operators by state.
We took the average annual salary data for owner/operators from these estimates and ranked every state on this criteria with the state with the highest salary ranking as highest average salary for owner/operators.
Owner/operator Salary By State FAQs
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What is the highest-paid state for owner/operators?
The highest-paid state for owner/operators is Oregon with an average salary of $188,607 per year.
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What city pays owner/operators the most?
Bridgeport, CT pays owner/operators the most with an average salary of $188,221 per year.
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What is the worst state for owner/operators?
The worst state for owner/operators is Hawaii with an average salary of $124,852 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.
