What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Operator Jobs in the United States?

We found several jobs related to Operator in the United States that pay more on average. Topping the list is Backhoe Operator at $15,214 (36.5%) above Operator. Job Title Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage Backhoe Operator $56,952 $4,746 $1,095 $27.38 Mechanic Shop Manager $54,347 $4,528 $1,045 $26.13 Emergency Vehicle Operator $43,677 $3,639 $839 $21.00 Filling Machine Operator $35,817 $2,984 $688 $17.22 Work From Home Tajima Embroidery Machine Operator $34,326 $2,860 $660 $16.50

What are the top 10 cities with the highest pay for Operator?

We've identified 10 cities in the United States where Operator jobs typically pay above the area average. Topping the list is Durant, MS (82.1% above average), followed by Ione, CA and Two Rivers, WI. City Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage Durant, MS $76,005 $6,333 $1,461 $36.54 Ione, CA $59,782 $4,981 $1,149 $28.74 Two Rivers, WI $56,319 $4,693 $1,083 $27.08 Honolulu County, HI $51,663 $4,305 $993 $24.84 Deer Park, CA $51,063 $4,255 $981 $24.55 Aspen, CO $50,449 $4,204 $970 $24.25 Sitka, AK $50,281 $4,190 $966 $24.17 Bonsall, CA $50,278 $4,189 $966 $24.17 South San Francisco, CA $50,156 $4,179 $964 $24.11 Holdrege, NE $49,997 $4,166 $961 $24.04

Operator

Operator Salary

Q: How much does an Operator make?

The average annual pay for an operator in the United States is $41,738 a year — that works out to approximately $20.07 an hour. The middle 80% of Operators earn between $32,000 (10th percentile) and $56,000 (90th percentile) per year, depending on experience and employer.

$22.5K

$39.5K

$61K

$41,738

/year

$20.07

/hour

Operator Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$41,738

Columbus

Ohio

$40,315

Do you get a good deal as an Operator?

Take The Breakroom Quiz to find out if your job offers fair pay and conditions. The 3-minute quiz lets you compare your pay, hours, benefits, and more.

Take The Breakroom Quiz

How much does an Operator make?

As of Jun 15, 2026, the average annual pay for an Operator in the United States is $41,738 a year.

Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $20.07 an hour. This is the equivalent of $802/week or $3,478/month.

While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $61,000 and as low as $22,500, the majority of Operator salaries currently range between $35,000 (25th percentile) to $46,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $56,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for an Operator varies greatly (by as much as 11000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

An Operator in your area makes on average $40,315 per year, or $1,423 (3.409%) less than the national average annual salary of $41,738. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Operator salaries.

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

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

What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Operator Jobs

We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for an Operator job is above the national average. Topping the list is Durant, MS, , with Ione, CA, and Two Rivers, WI, close behind in the second and third positions. Two Rivers, WI, beats the national average by $14,581 (34.9%), and Durant, MS, furthers that trend with another $34,267 (82.1%) above the $41,738 average.

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

Additionally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies as much as 41% between Durant, MS, and Holdrege, NE, , suggesting a strong potential for positive wage variance in an Operator role. Cost of living should also be factored in when balancing location and salary.

City	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
Durant, MS	$76,005	$6,333	$1,461	$36.54
Ione, CA	$59,782	$4,981	$1,149	$28.74
Two Rivers, WI	$56,319	$4,693	$1,083	$27.08
Honolulu County, HI	$51,663	$4,305	$993	$24.84
Deer Park, CA	$51,063	$4,255	$981	$24.55
Aspen, CO	$50,449	$4,204	$970	$24.25
Sitka, AK	$50,281	$4,190	$966	$24.17
Bonsall, CA	$50,278	$4,189	$966	$24.17
South San Francisco, CA	$50,156	$4,179	$964	$24.11
Holdrege, NE	$49,997	$4,166	$961	$24.04

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

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

For example Backhoe Operator jobs pay as much as $15,214 (36.5%) more than the average Operator salary of $41,738. If you're qualified, finding work as an Backhoe Operator may help you make more money than that of the average Operator position.

Job Title	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
Backhoe Operator	$56,952	$4,746	$1,095	$27.38
Mechanic Shop Manager	$54,347	$4,528	$1,045	$26.13
Emergency Vehicle Operator	$43,677	$3,639	$839	$21.00
Filling Machine Operator	$35,817	$2,984	$688	$17.22
Work From Home Tajima Embroidery Machine Operator	$34,326	$2,860	$660	$16.50

About Our Data

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

Infographic detailing Operator salary across the United States as of June 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $41,738 per year or $20.07 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.

All Salaries Operator Salary