Generator Operator

Generator Operator Salary

$37K

$47K

$55K

$47,000

/year

$22.60

/hour

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How much does a Generator Operator make?

As of Jul 3, 2026, the average annual pay for a Generator Operator in the United States is $47,000 a year.

Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $22.60 an hour. This is the equivalent of $903/week or $3,916/month.

While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $55,000 and as low as $37,000, the majority of Generator Operator salaries currently range between $42,500 (25th percentile) to $51,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $54,500 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Generator Operator varies little (about 9000), which suggests that regardless of location, there are not many opportunities for increased pay or advancement, even with several years of experience.

A Generator Operator in your area makes on average $0 per year, or $47,000 (100.000%) less than the national average annual salary of $47,000. Ohio ranks number 41 out of 50 states nationwide for Generator Operator salaries.

To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Generator Operator jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.

Find your next high paying job as a Generator Operator on ZipRecruiter today.

What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Generator Operator Jobs

We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Generator Operator job is above the national average. Topping the list is San Francisco, CA, , with Santa Clara, CA, and Oakland, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Oakland, CA, beats the national average by $9,399 (20.0%), and San Francisco, CA, furthers that trend with another $12,718 (27.1%) above the $47,000 average.

With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Generator Operator appears to be exceedingly fruitful.

Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 10% between San Francisco, CA, and Honolulu County, HI, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Generator Operator role.

City

Annual Salary

Hourly Wage

San Francisco, CA

$59,718

$28.71

Santa Clara, CA

$56,452

$27.14

Oakland, CA

$56,399

$27.11

United, WV

$55,294

$26.58

Seattle, WA

$55,074

$26.48

San Jose, CA

$54,196

$26.06

Southeast, DC

$54,167

$26.04

Arlington, VA

$53,979

$25.95

Bellevue, WA

$53,701

$25.82

Honolulu County, HI

$53,676

$25.81

What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Generator Operator Jobs in the U.S.

We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Generator Operator category.

For example Value Engineer jobs pay as much as $81,450 (173.3%) more than the average Generator Operator salary of $47,000. If you're qualified, finding work as a Value Engineer may help you make more money than that of the average Generator Operator position.

Job Title

Annual Salary

Hourly Wage

Value Engineer

$128,450

$61.75

Substation Mechanic

$104,604

$50.29

Revit Engineer

$95,484

$45.91

Manager Revit

$81,677

$39.27

Cad Analyst

$76,273

$36.67

About Our Data

ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.

Infographic detailing Generator Operator salary across the United States as of June 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $47,000 per year or $22.60 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.