Plant Operators 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 Operators Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$46,521
Columbus
Ohio
$44,934
Do you get a good deal as a Plant Operators?
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 a Plant Operators make?
As of Aug 18, 2026, the average annual pay for a Plant Operators 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 Operators 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 Operators 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 Operators 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 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Plant Operators salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Plant Operators jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Plant Operators on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Plant Operators Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Plant Operators job is above the national average. Topping the list is Jessup, MD, , with Norwalk, CT, and Lebanon, NH, close behind in the second and third positions. Lebanon, NH, beats the national average by $11,249 (24.2%), 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 Operators 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 Jessup, MD, and Wyoming, WY, , 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 Operators role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Jessup, MD | $61,362 | $29.50 |
Norwalk, CT | $58,285 | $28.02 |
Lebanon, NH | $57,770 | $27.77 |
San Jose, CA | $57,498 | $27.64 |
Peekskill, NY | $56,867 | $27.34 |
Berlin Corners, VT | $56,858 | $27.34 |
Kenai, AK | $56,276 | $27.06 |
Momence, IL | $55,888 | $26.87 |
Hebron, ND | $55,872 | $26.86 |
Wyoming, WY | $55,482 | $26.67 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Plant Operators Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Plant Operators job category, we found that Hospital Data Entry Operator jobs have average salaries similar than Plant Operators jobs.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Hospital Data Entry Operator | $43,254 | $20.80 |
Rubber Mill Operator | $42,326 | $20.35 |
Thermoforming Operator | $37,750 | $18.15 |
Majestic Steel | $32,637 | $15.69 |
3Rd Shift | $31,384 | $15.09 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
