Agricultural Equipment Operators Salary: $44,676 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 30,940 agricultural equipment operators nationally earn a mean of $44,676. Employment in the series shown rose about 10% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 1.5% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Agricultural Equipment Operators: what the data shows
Common questions about agricultural equipment operators careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a agricultural equipment operators?
Agricultural Equipment Operators is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 45-2091.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 30,940 workers.
What does a agricultural equipment operators do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Controlling Machines and Processes, Handling and Moving Objects, Processing Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a agricultural equipment operators make?
BLS national median annual wage: $42,580 (May 2024 in our extract).
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $35,246 |
| 25th percentile | $37,964 |
| Median (50th) | $41,310 |
| 75th percentile | $48,248 |
| 90th percentile | $58,624 |
What education do you need?
For Agricultural Equipment Operators, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Troubleshooting, Quality Control Analysis, Repairing, Active Listening, and knowledge areas including English Language, Mechanical, Public Safety and Security, Mathematics. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is agricultural equipment operators in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.5% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 7.7%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 15.9%.
Current U.S. headcount: 30,940.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do agricultural equipment operatorss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 30,940 | 20.2% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 30,140 | 19.7% |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 16,020 | 10.5% |
| Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry | 16,000 | 10.5% |
| Support Activities for Crop Production | 15,750 | 10.3% |
| Wholesale Trade | 9,560 | 6.2% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Agricultural Equipment Operators in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians | 36,880 | $52,080 |
| Farm and Home Management Educators | 10,260 | $58,120 |
| Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary | 8,700 | $86,350 |
| Agricultural Workers, All Other | 4,980 | $40,390 |
| Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products | 26,870 | $35,430 |
| Helpers--Production Workers | 167,490 | $38,220 |
| Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks | 385,000 | $57,770 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Agricultural Equipment Operators workforce.
Employment Over Time
30,940 Workforce in 2023
The Agricultural Equipment Operators workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Agricultural Equipment Operators.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$44,676 Average Wage
In 2023, Agricultural Equipment Operators earned an average of $44,676.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Agricultural Equipment Operators.
Salary distribution for Agricultural Equipment Operators.
Employment Growth Projections
1.5% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
34,085 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 7.7%
36,695 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 15.9%
This occupation is projected to grow at 1.5% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Agricultural Equipment Operators.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Agricultural Equipment Operators and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Agricultural Equipment Operators employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Agricultural Equipment Operators.
Wage Trends by Industry
9.3% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Agricultural Equipment Operators.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Agricultural Equipment Operators.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 8,480 employees, $43,400 avg wage
- IL: 2,310 employees, $48,100 avg wage
- IA: 1,710 employees, $49,220 avg wage
- TX: 1,480 employees, $32,920 avg wage
- MO: 1,080 employees, $48,630 avg wage
- NE: 1,070 employees, $47,840 avg wage
- AZ: 1,020 employees, $37,140 avg wage
- OH: 970 employees, $52,850 avg wage
- FL: 920 employees, $41,340 avg wage
- KS: 890 employees, $42,950 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Agricultural Equipment Operators.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA: 900 employees, $37,380 avg wage
- Fresno, CA: 760 employees, $40,130 avg wage
- Salinas, CA: 730 employees, $42,930 avg wage
- Visalia, CA: 650 employees, $39,310 avg wage
- Bakersfield-Delano, CA: 600 employees, $39,610 avg wage
- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA: 480 employees, $42,780 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 470 employees, $50,290 avg wage
- Napa, CA: 420 employees, $50,530 avg wage
- San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA: 330 employees, $45,930 avg wage
- Merced, CA: 290 employees, $40,110 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Agricultural Equipment Operators.
Diversity
Demographic information on Agricultural Equipment Operators in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Agricultural Equipment Operators in 2023 was 30,940 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Agricultural Equipment Operators.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Agricultural Equipment Operators.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Agricultural Equipment Operators.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Agricultural Equipment Operators in 2023 were Business, Social Sciences, General Studies.
Common majors for Agricultural Equipment Operators.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Agricultural Equipment Operators workers.
Education level distribution for Agricultural Equipment Operators.
Skills
Agricultural Equipment Operators need many skills, but most especially Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Troubleshooting, Quality Control Analysis, Repairing.
Required skills for Agricultural Equipment Operators.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Agricultural Equipment Operators.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Agricultural Equipment Operators include English Language, Mechanical, Public Safety and Security, Mathematics, Transportation.
Knowledge areas required for Agricultural Equipment Operators.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Agricultural Equipment Operators include Control Precision, Multilimb Coordination, Near Vision, Far Vision, Depth Perception.
Required abilities for Agricultural Equipment Operators.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Agricultural Equipment Operators.
Daily Activities
Agricultural Equipment Operators spend their time on activities such as Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Controlling Machines and Processes, Handling and Moving Objects.
Most important work activities for Agricultural Equipment Operators.
About
Agricultural Equipment Operators
The average yearly wage for Agricultural Equipment Operators was $44,676 in 2023.
SOC Code
45-2091 - Agricultural Equipment Operators
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Agricultural Equipment Operators reports an average salary of $44,676.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 30,940 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 1.5%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.