Plant Operator
Plant Operator Salary
$33.5K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$28.5K - $33.5K
25% of jobs
$33.5K - $38.5K
14% of jobs
The median wage is $42.4K / yr.
$38.5K - $43.5K
14% of jobs
$43.5K - $48.5K
16% of jobs
$51.6K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$48.5K - $53.5K
11% of jobs
$53.5K - $58.5K
8% of jobs
$58.5K - $63.5K
5% of jobs
$63.5K - $68.5K
3% of jobs
$68.5K - $73.5K
2% of jobs
$73.5K - $78.5K
2% of jobs
$78.5K - $83.5K
1% of jobs
$28.5K
$42.5K
$82.5K
$46,521
/year
$22.37
/hour
Plant Operator Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$46,521
Columbus
Ohio
$44,934
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How much does a Plant Operator make?
As of Sep 5, 2026, the average annual pay for a Plant Operator in the United States is $46,521 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $22.37 an hour. This is the equivalent of $894/week or $3,876/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $82,500 and as low as $28,500, the majority of Plant Operator salaries currently range between $34,000 (25th percentile) to $52,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $67,500 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Plant Operator varies greatly (by as much as 18500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A Plant Operator in your area makes on average $44,934 per year, or $1,587 (3.411%) less than the national average annual salary of $46,521. Ohio ranks number 31 out of 50 states nationwide for Plant Operator salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Plant Operator jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Plant Operator on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Plant Operator Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Plant Operator job is above the national average. Topping the list is Jessup, MD, , with Paramount, CA, and New Lisbon, WI, close behind in the second and third positions. New Lisbon, WI, beats the national average by $12,010 (25.8%), and Jessup, MD, furthers that trend with another $14,841 (31.9%) above the $46,521 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Plant Operator appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 8% between Jessup, MD, and Kenai, AK, , 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 Plant Operator role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Jessup, MD | $61,362 | $29.50 |
Paramount, CA | $60,610 | $29.14 |
New Lisbon, WI | $58,531 | $28.14 |
Norwalk, CT | $58,285 | $28.02 |
Lebanon, NH | $57,770 | $27.77 |
Somerset, WI | $57,516 | $27.65 |
Berkeley, CA | $56,962 | $27.39 |
Berlin Corners, VT | $56,858 | $27.34 |
Perkasie, PA | $56,340 | $27.09 |
Kenai, AK | $56,276 | $27.06 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Plant Operator Jobs in the U.S.
We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Plant Operator category.
For example Backhoe Operator jobs pay as much as $10,431 (22.4%) more than the average Plant Operator salary of $46,521. If you're qualified, finding work as a Backhoe Operator may help you make more money than that of the average Plant Operator position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Backhoe Operator | $56,952 | $27.38 |
Actors | $56,903 | $27.36 |
Railroad Safety Inspector | $54,939 | $26.41 |
360 Excavator | $54,408 | $26.16 |
Equipment Operator | $46,279 | $22.25 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
