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Lead operator salary
Average lead operator salary
$88,429
Understanding Lead Operator Salaries
The average salary for a Lead Operator in the United States stands at $88,429 annually. Factors influencing this salary include experience level, geographic location, and the specific industry in which one works. Entry-level positions typically start lower, around $70,000, while seasoned professionals can earn upwards of $100,000 or more.
Salary Variation by State
Lead Operators can find significant salary differences depending on their state of employment. For instance, states like California and Texas often report higher average salaries due to demand and cost of living. Conversely, states with lower living costs may offer less competitive salaries.
Experience Matters
Experience plays a crucial role in determining salary. Typically, Lead Operators with more years in the field command higher salaries. It’s beneficial for recent graduates or those new to the role to seek opportunities for advancement and skill development to enhance their earning potential.
Job Opportunities
As industries evolve, so do the opportunities for Lead Operators. Sectors such as manufacturing, construction, and logistics are increasingly in need of skilled leaders. Staying updated on job listings and networking within these fields can lead to lucrative positions.
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Where can a Lead Operator earn more?
Lead operator salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level lead operator | $87,200 | $41.92 |
| Mid-level lead operator | $110,000 | $53.02 |
| Senior-level lead operator | $112,000 | $53.72 |
Lead operator salary estimates from across the web
Average lead operator salary by state
The highest-paying states for lead operators are New Jersey, California, and Alaska. The lowest average lead operator salary states are Illinois, Kansas, and Indiana.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for lead operators
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $110,005 | $52.89 |
| 2 | New Hampshire | $108,013 | $51.93 |
| 3 | Wyoming | $101,227 | $48.67 |
| 4 | Nevada | $100,259 | $48.20 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $114,085 | $54.85 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $107,203 | $51.54 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $96,261 | $46.28 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $107,691 | $51.77 |
| 9 | Idaho | $90,108 | $43.32 |
| 10 | California | $110,135 | $52.95 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $85,305 | $41.01 |
| 12 | Michigan | $83,196 | $40.00 |
| 13 | Arizona | $92,088 | $44.27 |
| 14 | Montana | $86,313 | $41.50 |
| 15 | Mississippi | $87,776 | $42.20 |
| 16 | Louisiana | $84,040 | $40.40 |
| 17 | Maine | $92,318 | $44.38 |
| 18 | District of Columbia | $98,724 | $47.46 |
| 19 | Oklahoma | $80,997 | $38.94 |
| 20 | New York | $96,893 | $46.58 |
| 21 | Texas | $87,782 | $42.20 |
| 22 | Wisconsin | $78,680 | $37.83 |
| 23 | Arkansas | $75,241 | $36.17 |
| 24 | Tennessee | $73,683 | $35.42 |
| 25 | South Carolina | $82,227 | $39.53 |
| 26 | North Dakota | $81,012 | $38.95 |
| 27 | Washington | $87,366 | $42.00 |
| 28 | Hawaii | $80,844 | $38.87 |
| 29 | Kentucky | $72,834 | $35.02 |
| 30 | New Mexico | $76,730 | $36.89 |
| 31 | South Dakota | $74,632 | $35.88 |
| 32 | Delaware | $83,602 | $40.19 |
| 33 | Missouri | $73,490 | $35.33 |
| 34 | Vermont | $78,734 | $37.85 |
| 35 | Maryland | $76,291 | $36.68 |
| 36 | North Carolina | $75,394 | $36.25 |
| 37 | West Virginia | $76,094 | $36.58 |
| 38 | Georgia | $75,245 | $36.18 |
| 39 | Minnesota | $74,461 | $35.80 |
| 40 | Alabama | $73,118 | $35.15 |
| 41 | Iowa | $71,177 | $34.22 |
| 42 | Kansas | $68,856 | $33.10 |
| 43 | Utah | $64,268 | $30.90 |
| 44 | Virginia | $76,683 | $36.87 |
| 45 | Florida | $75,644 | $36.37 |
| 46 | Colorado | $75,054 | $36.08 |
| 47 | Indiana | $67,639 | $32.52 |
| 48 | Ohio | $66,987 | $32.21 |
| 49 | Nebraska | $63,875 | $30.71 |
| 50 | Illinois | $69,980 | $33.64 |
| 51 | Oregon | $72,338 | $34.78 |
Highest paying cities for lead operators
The highest-paying cities for lead operators are San Francisco, CA, Jersey City, NJ, and Hartford, CT.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $123,759 | $59.50 |
| 2 | Jersey City, NJ | $115,239 | $55.40 |
| 3 | Hartford, CT | $108,287 | $52.06 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $107,264 | $51.57 |
| 5 | Washington, DC | $99,115 | $47.65 |
| 6 | Las Vegas, NV | $98,903 | $47.55 |
| 7 | Albany, NY | $97,877 | $47.06 |
| 8 | Portland, ME | $94,080 | $45.23 |
| 9 | Phoenix, AZ | $92,659 | $44.55 |
| 10 | Seattle, WA | $88,894 | $42.74 |
| 11 | Austin, TX | $88,564 | $42.58 |
| 12 | Philadelphia, PA | $86,352 | $41.52 |
| 13 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $81,174 | $39.03 |
| 14 | Arlington, VA | $79,011 | $37.99 |
| 15 | Baltimore, MD | $76,745 | $36.90 |
| 16 | Raleigh, NC | $76,504 | $36.78 |
| 17 | Miami, FL | $75,188 | $36.15 |
| 18 | Aurora, CO | $74,802 | $35.96 |
| 19 | Atlanta, GA | $74,791 | $35.96 |
| 20 | Minneapolis, MN | $74,274 | $35.71 |
Lead operator salary details
A lead operator's salary ranges from $54,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $142,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a lead operator's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $142,000 | $11,833 | $68 |
| 75th Percentile | $113,000 | $9,417 | $54 |
| Average | $88,429 | $7,369 | $43 |
| 25th Percentile | $68,000 | $5,667 | $33 |
| 10th Percentile | $54,000 | $4,500 | $26 |
Highest paying lead operator jobs
The highest paying types of lead operators are head operator, cell leader, and lead person.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shop Lead | $48,007 | $4,001 | $23.08 | 16,766 |
| Working Supervisor | $49,372 | $4,114 | $23.74 | 44,021 |
| Production Leader | $44,563 | $3,714 | $21.42 | 107,578 |
| 2nd Shift Supervisor | $34,465 | $2,872 | $16.57 | 145,604 |
| 3rd Shift Supervisor | $32,932 | $2,744 | $15.83 | 129,192 |
| Planting Supervisor | $41,894 | $3,491 | $20.14 | 59,990 |
Top companies hiring lead operators now:
Which companies pay lead operators the most?
Lead operator salaries at Meta and Google are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average lead operator salary at companies like ZS and Apple are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $165,622 | $79.63 |
| 2 | $159,066 | $76.47 | |
| 3 | ZS | $157,207 | $75.58 |
| 4 | Apple | $142,967 | $68.73 |
| 5 | Microsoft | $142,750 | $68.63 |
| 6 | eBay | $142,723 | $68.62 |
| 7 | Chevron | $137,840 | $66.27 |
| 8 | Cloudflare | $134,879 | $64.85 |
| 9 | Marathon Oil | $132,364 | $63.64 |
| 10 | $128,055 | $61.56 | |
| 11 | Lyft | $126,563 | $60.85 |
| 12 | Neuralink IT Solutions | $126,030 | $60.59 |
| 13 | Genentech | $124,568 | $59.89 |
| 14 | UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital | $124,290 | $59.75 |
| 15 | Citi | $124,086 | $59.66 |
| 16 | Uber Technologies | $123,875 | $59.56 |
| 17 | Pandora | $122,765 | $59.02 |
| 18 | Amd | $122,597 | $58.94 |
| 19 | Tishman | $122,455 | $58.87 |
| 20 | Hess | $121,996 | $58.65 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Lead Operator salary by industry
The average lead operator salary varies across industries:
- The average lead operator salary in the technology industry is $94,784, the highest of any industry.
- The average lead operator salary in the finance industry is $87,806.
- Lead operators in the retail industry earn an average salary of $58,346, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for lead operators
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $94,784 | $45.57 |
| 2 | Energy | $87,806 | $42.21 |
| 3 | Finance | $79,970 | $38.45 |
| 4 | Professional | $77,797 | $37.40 |
| 5 | Health Care | $76,929 | $36.99 |
| 6 | Manufacturing | $69,239 | $33.29 |
| 7 | Transportation | $69,058 | $33.20 |
| 8 | Retail | $58,346 | $28.05 |
High paying lead operator jobs
Lead operator salary trends
The average lead operator salary has risen by $12,916 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average lead operator earned $75,513 annually, but today, they earn $88,429 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for lead operators over the last decade.
Compare lead operator salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average lead operator salary over time
Compare lead operator salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Lead operator salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $88,400 | $42.51 | +2.5% |
| 2024 | $86,300 | $41.47 | +1.5% |
| 2023 | $85,000 | $40.87 | +2.6% |
| 2022 | $82,800 | $39.82 | +1.9% |
| 2021 | $81,300 | $39.08 | +2.5% |
Recently added lead operator salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeppesen | Strategy and Integration Lead-Business Operations | North Charleston, SC | 06/30/2025 | $132,600 |
| Wash | Lead Operations Technician | Urban Honolulu, HI | 06/30/2025 | $62,610 |
| Wheels | Operations Analytics Leader | Chicago, IL | 06/30/2025 | $139,700 |
| Barry-Wehmiller | Operations Leader | Mediapolis, IA | 06/30/2025 | $110,000 |
| One Medical | Clinic Operations Lead | Dallas, TX | 06/29/2025 | $52,697 |
| at Home Medical | Operations Lead | Spokane, WA | 06/29/2025 | $37,566 |
| at Home Medical | Operations Lead | Aurora, IL | 06/29/2025 | $35,479 |
| at Home Medical | Operations Lead | Seekonk, MA | 06/29/2025 | $33,392 |
| Alo | Operations Lead | New York, NY | 06/29/2025 | $39,653 |
| Alo | Operations Lead-Newbury Street | Boston, MA | 06/29/2025 | $45,914 |
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