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Best states for a manufacturing operator
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to manufacturing operator jobs, it's no different. We know how hard job search can be, and in order to make your life a little easier, we have the information you need in order to determine where you might want to start your job search. Although there are abundant manufacturing operator jobs in the United States, a large number of them are in the South. Wisconsin is the best state in the country for manufacturing operator jobs.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for manufacturing operators. Wisconsin is the best state for manufacturing operators, where the median salary is $40,774.We found that Wisconsin is the best state for manufacturing operator jobs, whereas Florida is the worst.
10 best states for manufacturing operators in 2025
1. Wisconsin
Total manufacturing operator jobs: 1,088 Average annual salary: $40,774 Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Location Quotient: 1.52. Minnesota
Total manufacturing operator jobs: 1,268 Average annual salary: $38,409 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Location Quotient: 1.463. Iowa
Total manufacturing operator jobs: 559 Average annual salary: $37,721 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Location Quotient: 1.184. Massachusetts
Total manufacturing operator jobs: 2,018 Average annual salary: $38,798 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Location Quotient: 1.685. New Hampshire
Total manufacturing operator jobs: 315 Average annual salary: $37,957 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Location Quotient: 1.386. Alaska
Total manufacturing operator jobs: 114 Average annual salary: $42,155 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Location Quotient: 1.047. North Dakota
Total manufacturing operator jobs: 94 Average annual salary: $44,245 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Location Quotient: 0.778. Maine
Total manufacturing operator jobs: 175 Average annual salary: $39,161 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Location Quotient: 1.019. Wyoming
Total manufacturing operator jobs: 52 Average annual salary: $49,708 Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Location Quotient: 0.6610. Illinois
Total manufacturing operator jobs: 1,521 Average annual salary: $38,185 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Location Quotient: 0.97
Manufacturing operator jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a manufacturing operator
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a manufacturing operator
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wisconsin | $40,774 | $32,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,088 |
| 2 | Minnesota | $38,409 | $30,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,268 |
| 3 | Iowa | $37,721 | $29,000 | 3,145,711 | 559 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $38,798 | $31,000 | 6,859,819 | 2,018 |
| 5 | New Hampshire | $37,957 | $31,000 | 1,342,795 | 315 |
| 6 | Alaska | $42,155 | $37,000 | 739,795 | 114 |
| 7 | North Dakota | $44,245 | $36,000 | 755,393 | 94 |
| 8 | Maine | $39,161 | $33,000 | 1,335,907 | 175 |
| 9 | Wyoming | $49,708 | $38,000 | 579,315 | 52 |
| 10 | Illinois | $38,185 | $29,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,521 |
| 11 | Indiana | $34,682 | $26,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,179 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $35,401 | $28,000 | 1,059,639 | 267 |
| 13 | Michigan | $34,363 | $27,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,253 |
| 14 | Kansas | $36,013 | $27,000 | 2,913,123 | 310 |
| 15 | Vermont | $37,124 | $31,000 | 623,657 | 83 |
| 16 | New Jersey | $35,879 | $28,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,402 |
| 17 | Ohio | $33,030 | $25,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,901 |
| 18 | Colorado | $38,501 | $29,000 | 5,607,154 | 557 |
| 19 | Connecticut | $36,562 | $29,000 | 3,588,184 | 406 |
| 20 | Washington | $38,437 | $30,000 | 7,405,743 | 574 |
| 21 | New York | $37,294 | $29,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,257 |
| 22 | Pennsylvania | $33,520 | $26,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,733 |
| 23 | Nebraska | $34,196 | $26,000 | 1,920,076 | 277 |
| 24 | District of Columbia | $38,538 | $29,000 | 693,972 | 164 |
| 25 | Oregon | $34,805 | $27,000 | 4,142,776 | 529 |
| 26 | California | $36,210 | $27,000 | 39,536,653 | 3,650 |
| 27 | Utah | $32,703 | $25,000 | 3,101,833 | 467 |
| 28 | West Virginia | $32,056 | $24,000 | 1,815,857 | 214 |
| 29 | Kentucky | $31,408 | $23,000 | 4,454,189 | 635 |
| 30 | Montana | $36,031 | $28,000 | 1,050,493 | 88 |
| 31 | Missouri | $33,513 | $25,000 | 6,113,532 | 658 |
| 32 | North Carolina | $31,240 | $23,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,647 |
| 33 | South Dakota | $33,505 | $26,000 | 869,666 | 92 |
| 34 | Alabama | $30,795 | $23,000 | 4,874,747 | 595 |
| 35 | Mississippi | $31,155 | $23,000 | 2,984,100 | 259 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $33,275 | $27,000 | 1,427,538 | 120 |
| 37 | Georgia | $31,083 | $23,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,281 |
| 38 | Idaho | $32,189 | $25,000 | 1,716,943 | 172 |
| 39 | Arizona | $31,366 | $23,000 | 7,016,270 | 599 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $28,543 | $21,000 | 6,715,984 | 933 |
| 41 | South Carolina | $29,791 | $22,000 | 5,024,369 | 630 |
| 42 | Louisiana | $30,600 | $22,000 | 4,684,333 | 255 |
| 43 | Maryland | $31,048 | $23,000 | 6,052,177 | 628 |
| 44 | Texas | $29,657 | $21,000 | 28,304,596 | 2,184 |
| 45 | Nevada | $28,936 | $22,000 | 2,998,039 | 259 |
| 46 | Delaware | $31,195 | $24,000 | 961,939 | 92 |
| 47 | Virginia | $30,343 | $23,000 | 8,470,020 | 729 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $29,579 | $22,000 | 3,930,864 | 239 |
| 49 | New Mexico | $29,277 | $22,000 | 2,088,070 | 125 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $27,008 | $20,000 | 3,004,279 | 251 |
| 51 | Florida | $27,395 | $20,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,460 |
Highest paying states for manufacturing operators
| Rank | State | Avg. Manufacturing Operator Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wisconsin | $40,774 |
| 2 | Minnesota | $38,409 |
| 3 | Iowa | $37,721 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $38,798 |
| 5 | New Hampshire | $37,957 |
| 6 | Alaska | $42,155 |
| 7 | North Dakota | $44,245 |
| 8 | Maine | $39,161 |
| 9 | Wyoming | $49,708 |
| 10 | Illinois | $38,185 |
| 11 | Indiana | $34,682 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $35,401 |
| 13 | Michigan | $34,363 |
| 14 | Kansas | $36,013 |
| 15 | Vermont | $37,124 |
| 16 | New Jersey | $35,879 |
| 17 | Ohio | $33,030 |
| 18 | Colorado | $38,501 |
| 19 | Connecticut | $36,562 |
| 20 | Washington | $38,437 |
| 21 | New York | $37,294 |
| 22 | Pennsylvania | $33,520 |
| 23 | Nebraska | $34,196 |
| 24 | District of Columbia | $38,538 |
| 25 | Oregon | $34,805 |
| 26 | California | $36,210 |
| 27 | Utah | $32,703 |
| 28 | West Virginia | $32,056 |
| 29 | Kentucky | $31,408 |
| 30 | Montana | $36,031 |
| 31 | Missouri | $33,513 |
| 32 | North Carolina | $31,240 |
| 33 | South Dakota | $33,505 |
| 34 | Alabama | $30,795 |
| 35 | Mississippi | $31,155 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $33,275 |
| 37 | Georgia | $31,083 |
| 38 | Idaho | $32,189 |
| 39 | Arizona | $31,366 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $28,543 |
| 41 | South Carolina | $29,791 |
| 42 | Louisiana | $30,600 |
| 43 | Maryland | $31,048 |
| 44 | Texas | $29,657 |
| 45 | Nevada | $28,936 |
| 46 | Delaware | $31,195 |
| 47 | Virginia | $30,343 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $29,579 |
| 49 | New Mexico | $29,277 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $27,008 |
| 51 | Florida | $27,395 |
Manufacturing operator best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025