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Best states for a lead operator/machine operator
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for lead operator/machine operators? Knowing how challenging it is to figure out where to start your career or where to move to advance your career, we decided to bring you a list of best states for lead operator/machine operator jobs.We wanted to look at the best states for lead operator/machine operators -- where there are plenty of lead operator/machine operator jobs to go around and lead operator/machine operators get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
In order to get you the best states for lead operator/machine operators, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.Kansas is the best state, and Monterey is the city with the highest pay for lead operator/machine operators.
10 best states for lead operator/machine operators in 2025
1. Kansas
Total lead operator/machine operator jobs: 979 Average annual salary: $43,684 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Location Quotient: 1.492. Pennsylvania
Total lead operator/machine operator jobs: 2,604 Average annual salary: $44,164 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Location Quotient: 1.033. Minnesota
Total lead operator/machine operator jobs: 1,714 Average annual salary: $43,616 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Location Quotient: 1.194. Kentucky
Total lead operator/machine operator jobs: 1,050 Average annual salary: $40,205 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Location Quotient: 1.315. South Carolina
Total lead operator/machine operator jobs: 1,650 Average annual salary: $38,995 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Location Quotient: 1.696. North Dakota
Total lead operator/machine operator jobs: 209 Average annual salary: $41,676 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Location Quotient: 1.037. Delaware
Total lead operator/machine operator jobs: 228 Average annual salary: $44,177 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Location Quotient: 0.848. Missouri
Total lead operator/machine operator jobs: 1,348 Average annual salary: $40,763 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Location Quotient: 1.069. Idaho
Total lead operator/machine operator jobs: 538 Average annual salary: $39,265 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Location Quotient: 1.5110. Rhode Island
Total lead operator/machine operator jobs: 188 Average annual salary: $42,899 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Location Quotient: 0.71
Lead operator/machine operator jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a lead operator/machine operator
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a lead operator/machine operator
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas | $43,684 | $33,000 | 2,913,123 | 979 |
| 2 | Pennsylvania | $44,164 | $30,000 | 12,805,537 | 2,604 |
| 3 | Minnesota | $43,616 | $35,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,714 |
| 4 | Kentucky | $40,205 | $30,000 | 4,454,189 | 1,050 |
| 5 | South Carolina | $38,995 | $29,000 | 5,024,369 | 1,650 |
| 6 | North Dakota | $41,676 | $33,000 | 755,393 | 209 |
| 7 | Delaware | $44,177 | $29,000 | 961,939 | 228 |
| 8 | Missouri | $40,763 | $31,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,348 |
| 9 | Idaho | $39,265 | $30,000 | 1,716,943 | 538 |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $42,899 | $30,000 | 1,059,639 | 188 |
| 11 | Ohio | $38,209 | $28,000 | 11,658,609 | 3,851 |
| 12 | Indiana | $37,907 | $29,000 | 6,666,818 | 2,134 |
| 13 | Mississippi | $39,063 | $28,000 | 2,984,100 | 633 |
| 14 | Illinois | $39,762 | $31,000 | 12,802,023 | 3,853 |
| 15 | Arizona | $41,706 | $30,000 | 7,016,270 | 901 |
| 16 | Nevada | $39,081 | $27,000 | 2,998,039 | 692 |
| 17 | Wisconsin | $37,658 | $29,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,881 |
| 18 | Maine | $39,668 | $32,000 | 1,335,907 | 269 |
| 19 | Connecticut | $42,536 | $29,000 | 3,588,184 | 509 |
| 20 | Michigan | $37,678 | $28,000 | 9,962,311 | 2,478 |
| 21 | California | $44,300 | $31,000 | 39,536,653 | 4,035 |
| 22 | North Carolina | $38,356 | $28,000 | 10,273,419 | 2,304 |
| 23 | Georgia | $37,511 | $28,000 | 10,429,379 | 3,089 |
| 24 | South Dakota | $36,464 | $29,000 | 869,666 | 280 |
| 25 | Alaska | $39,031 | $34,000 | 739,795 | 225 |
| 26 | Montana | $35,938 | $29,000 | 1,050,493 | 450 |
| 27 | Massachusetts | $39,617 | $29,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,519 |
| 28 | Oklahoma | $36,915 | $28,000 | 3,930,864 | 866 |
| 29 | New Hampshire | $37,518 | $29,000 | 1,342,795 | 449 |
| 30 | New Jersey | $42,476 | $28,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,121 |
| 31 | Tennessee | $35,893 | $27,000 | 6,715,984 | 1,735 |
| 32 | Texas | $37,951 | $27,000 | 28,304,596 | 3,693 |
| 33 | Colorado | $39,903 | $31,000 | 5,607,154 | 758 |
| 34 | Oregon | $39,210 | $29,000 | 4,142,776 | 606 |
| 35 | Arkansas | $35,387 | $26,000 | 3,004,279 | 885 |
| 36 | District of Columbia | $42,923 | $29,000 | 693,972 | 146 |
| 37 | Virginia | $39,556 | $27,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,470 |
| 38 | Maryland | $41,077 | $28,000 | 6,052,177 | 965 |
| 39 | Hawaii | $44,091 | $39,000 | 1,427,538 | 107 |
| 40 | Iowa | $35,296 | $27,000 | 3,145,711 | 1,067 |
| 41 | Vermont | $36,774 | $29,000 | 623,657 | 155 |
| 42 | Washington | $38,670 | $30,000 | 7,405,743 | 755 |
| 43 | New York | $40,300 | $27,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,624 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $34,093 | $26,000 | 1,920,076 | 792 |
| 45 | Utah | $35,179 | $27,000 | 3,101,833 | 739 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $35,727 | $25,000 | 4,684,333 | 518 |
| 47 | West Virginia | $34,529 | $25,000 | 1,815,857 | 269 |
| 48 | New Mexico | $34,898 | $25,000 | 2,088,070 | 456 |
| 49 | Florida | $35,861 | $25,000 | 20,984,400 | 2,405 |
| 50 | Alabama | $32,629 | $24,000 | 4,874,747 | 848 |
| 51 | Wyoming | $23,115 | $18,000 | 579,315 | 89 |
Highest paying states for lead operator/machine operators
| Rank | State | Avg. Lead Operator/Machine Operator Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas | $43,684 |
| 2 | Pennsylvania | $44,164 |
| 3 | Minnesota | $43,616 |
| 4 | Kentucky | $40,205 |
| 5 | South Carolina | $38,995 |
| 6 | North Dakota | $41,676 |
| 7 | Delaware | $44,177 |
| 8 | Missouri | $40,763 |
| 9 | Idaho | $39,265 |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $42,899 |
| 11 | Ohio | $38,209 |
| 12 | Indiana | $37,907 |
| 13 | Mississippi | $39,063 |
| 14 | Illinois | $39,762 |
| 15 | Arizona | $41,706 |
| 16 | Nevada | $39,081 |
| 17 | Wisconsin | $37,658 |
| 18 | Maine | $39,668 |
| 19 | Connecticut | $42,536 |
| 20 | Michigan | $37,678 |
| 21 | California | $44,300 |
| 22 | North Carolina | $38,356 |
| 23 | Georgia | $37,511 |
| 24 | South Dakota | $36,464 |
| 25 | Alaska | $39,031 |
| 26 | Montana | $35,938 |
| 27 | Massachusetts | $39,617 |
| 28 | Oklahoma | $36,915 |
| 29 | New Hampshire | $37,518 |
| 30 | New Jersey | $42,476 |
| 31 | Tennessee | $35,893 |
| 32 | Texas | $37,951 |
| 33 | Colorado | $39,903 |
| 34 | Oregon | $39,210 |
| 35 | Arkansas | $35,387 |
| 36 | District of Columbia | $42,923 |
| 37 | Virginia | $39,556 |
| 38 | Maryland | $41,077 |
| 39 | Hawaii | $44,091 |
| 40 | Iowa | $35,296 |
| 41 | Vermont | $36,774 |
| 42 | Washington | $38,670 |
| 43 | New York | $40,300 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $34,093 |
| 45 | Utah | $35,179 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $35,727 |
| 47 | West Virginia | $34,529 |
| 48 | New Mexico | $34,898 |
| 49 | Florida | $35,861 |
| 50 | Alabama | $32,629 |
| 51 | Wyoming | $23,115 |
Lead operator/machine operator best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025