SalariesWhat the occupation covers
Drive and control equipment to support agricultural activities such as tilling soil; planting, cultivating, and harvesting crops; feeding and herding livestock; or removing animal waste. May perform tasks such as crop baling or hay bucking. May operate stationary equipment to perform post-harvest tasks such as husking, shelling, threshing, and ginning.
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 45-2091.
The pay range
Pay differs a lot inside one occupation, with experience, employer and place. The table shows where the lines fall.
| Share of workers | A year | A month* | A week* | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earn less than | $33,500 | $2,792 | $644 | $16.11 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $36,810 | $3,068 | $708 | $17.70 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $41,730 | $3,478 | $802 | $20.06 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $48,100 | $4,008 | $925 | $23.12 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $58,650 | $4,888 | $1,128 | $28.20 |
* Month and week are the yearly figure divided by 12 and by 52, worked out here for convenience. BLS publishes the yearly and hourly figures.
How it compares
The median for all occupations in the United States was $50,980 a year. The median for Agricultural Equipment Operators is $41,730, which is 18% lower. Among the 13 occupations of the field Farming, Fishing, and Forestry, it ranks number 9 by median pay. With 28,500 jobs, it makes up about 1.8 of every 10,000 jobs in the country.
Agricultural Equipment Operators pay by state
The highest median pay was in Montana ($58,770), Louisiana ($58,520) and New York ($50,020). The lowest was in Arkansas ($32,060), Alabama ($33,910) and Texas ($34,260). The most jobs were in California (7,940), Texas (2,200) and Illinois (1,910). The occupation is most concentrated in Nebraska, where its share of all jobs is 5.8 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montana | 130 | $58,770 | $54,400 | $28.25 |
| Louisiana | 270 | $58,520 | $51,050 | $28.14 |
| New York | not published | $50,020 | $51,740 | $24.05 |
| Delaware | 40 | $49,910 | $51,150 | $24.00 |
| Massachusetts | 40 | $49,150 | $47,670 | $23.63 |
| Minnesota | 900 | $48,520 | $49,530 | $23.33 |
| North Dakota | 430 | $48,080 | $50,340 | $23.11 |
| South Dakota | 240 | $48,060 | $47,470 | $23.11 |
| Virginia | 120 | $47,890 | $49,420 | $23.02 |
| Iowa | 1,530 | $47,220 | $49,480 | $22.70 |
| Ohio | 600 | $47,220 | $50,070 | $22.70 |
| Pennsylvania | 390 | $47,100 | $46,900 | $22.64 |
| Wisconsin | 830 | $47,100 | $47,940 | $22.65 |
| Nebraska | 1,090 | $46,670 | $49,070 | $22.44 |
| Maine | 60 | $46,490 | $48,820 | $22.35 |
| Missouri | 900 | $46,490 | $50,440 | $22.35 |
| Indiana | 810 | $46,280 | $47,980 | $22.25 |
| Illinois | 1,910 | $46,050 | $47,230 | $22.14 |
| Kansas | 670 | $45,570 | $45,620 | $21.91 |
| Oregon | 310 | $44,150 | $45,070 | $21.23 |
| Michigan | 460 | $42,380 | $41,670 | $20.37 |
| Kentucky | 190 | $42,000 | $48,050 | $20.19 |
| New Jersey | 70 | $41,660 | $43,390 | $20.03 |
| Maryland | 180 | $39,580 | $43,180 | $19.03 |
| North Carolina | 550 | $39,580 | $39,410 | $19.03 |
| Idaho | 490 | $38,920 | $39,930 | $18.71 |
| California | 7,940 | $38,820 | $42,730 | $18.66 |
| Washington | 550 | $38,470 | $43,770 | $18.50 |
| Tennessee | 390 | $37,750 | $38,600 | $18.15 |
| Colorado | not published | $37,290 | $42,840 | $17.93 |
| Florida | 790 | $36,660 | $40,900 | $17.62 |
| Arizona | 730 | $36,600 | $37,160 | $17.60 |
| Mississippi | 280 | $36,460 | $34,330 | $17.53 |
| New Mexico | 130 | $35,580 | $36,450 | $17.11 |
| Georgia | 570 | $35,410 | $37,390 | $17.02 |
| Oklahoma | 170 | $34,900 | $41,970 | $16.78 |
| South Carolina | 380 | $34,490 | $35,760 | $16.58 |
| Texas | 2,200 | $34,260 | $35,300 | $16.47 |
| Alabama | 370 | $33,910 | $34,640 | $16.30 |
| Arkansas | 350 | $32,060 | $35,530 | $15.41 |
Sorted by median pay, highest first. "Not published" means BLS did not release that figure for the state, usually because too few employers were surveyed. "$239,200 or more" is the highest value BLS reports in the state tables.
Similar occupations by pay
- Logging Equipment Operators$49,740 a year
- Log Graders and Scalers$46,330 a year
- Forest and Conservation Workers$43,680 a year
- Agricultural Workers, All Other$39,850 a year
- Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals$36,670 a year
- Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products$35,730 a year
Common questions
How much do Agricultural Equipment Operators earn in the United States?
The median pay was $41,730 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $33,500 and the highest-paid 10% more than $58,650.
How many people work as Agricultural Equipment Operators?
About 28,500 jobs in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Checked in November 2026. Figures are for employees, before tax, and leave out overtime pay and benefits. They are official statistics, not advice or a pay offer; see bls.gov/oes for the original tables.