Plant Operator Trainee Salary
$30.5K - $35.5K
8% of jobs
$35.5K - $40.5K
12% of jobs
$41.8K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$40.5K - $45.5K
21% of jobs
The median wage is $48.4K / yr.
$45.5K - $50.5K
16% of jobs
$50.5K - $55.5K
13% of jobs
$58K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$55.5K - $60.5K
11% of jobs
$60.5K - $65.5K
6% of jobs
$65.5K - $70.5K
5% of jobs
$70.5K - $75.5K
4% of jobs
$75.5K - $80.5K
3% of jobs
$80.5K - $85.5K
2% of jobs
$30.5K
$49K
$85.5K
$52,962
/year
$25.46
/hour
Plant Operator Trainee Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$52,962
Columbus
Ohio
$51,156
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How much does a Plant Operator Trainee make?
As of Aug 26, 2026, the average annual pay for a Plant Operator Trainee in the United States is $52,962 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $25.46 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,018/week or $4,413/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $85,500 and as low as $30,500, the majority of Plant Operator Trainee salaries currently range between $42,000 (25th percentile) to $59,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $75,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Plant Operator Trainee varies greatly (by as much as 17500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A Plant Operator Trainee in your area makes on average $51,156 per year, or $1,806 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $52,962. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Plant Operator Trainee salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Plant Operator Trainee 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 Trainee on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Plant Operator Trainee Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Plant Operator Trainee job is above the national average. Topping the list is Kettleman City, CA, , with Corte Madera, CA, and Nome, AK, close behind in the second and third positions. Nome, AK, beats the national average by $12,737 (24.0%), and Kettleman City, CA, furthers that trend with another $15,984 (30.2%) above the $52,962 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 Trainee appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 12% between Kettleman City, CA, and Santa Cruz, CA, , 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 Trainee role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Kettleman City, CA | $68,946 | $33.15 |
Corte Madera, CA | $65,793 | $31.63 |
Nome, AK | $65,699 | $31.59 |
Sitka, AK | $63,803 | $30.67 |
San Francisco, CA | $62,399 | $30.00 |
Santa Clara, CA | $62,201 | $29.90 |
Sunnyvale, CA | $62,159 | $29.88 |
San Jose, CA | $62,071 | $29.84 |
Daly City, CA | $61,367 | $29.50 |
Santa Cruz, CA | $60,939 | $29.30 |
What are Top 0 Best Paying Related Plant Operator Trainee Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Plant Operator Trainee job category, we found that related job jobs have average salaries similar than Plant Operator Trainee jobs.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
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About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
