Tower Operator
Tower Operator Salary
$30K - $32.5K
5% of jobs
$32.5K - $35K
5% of jobs
$35K - $37.5K
11% of jobs
$38.6K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$37.5K - $40K
7% of jobs
$40K - $42.5K
3% of jobs
$42.5K - $45K
7% of jobs
The median wage is $47.4K / yr.
$45K - $47.5K
12% of jobs
$47.5K - $50K
10% of jobs
$50K - $52.5K
10% of jobs
$53.4K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$52.5K - $55K
13% of jobs
$55K - $57.5K
17% of jobs
$30K
$46.5K
$55K
$45,428
/year
$21.84
/hour
Tower Operator Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$45,428
Columbus
Ohio
$43,879
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How much does a Tower Operator make?
As of Aug 10, 2026, the average annual pay for a Tower Operator in the United States is $45,428 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $21.84 an hour. This is the equivalent of $873/week or $3,785/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $55,000 and as low as $30,000, the majority of Tower Operator salaries currently range between $38,000 (25th percentile) to $52,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $54,500 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Tower Operator varies greatly (by as much as 14000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A Tower Operator in your area makes on average $43,879 per year, or $1,549 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $45,428. Ohio ranks number 31 out of 50 states nationwide for Tower Operator salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Tower Operator jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Tower Operator on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Tower Operator Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Tower Operator job is above the national average. Topping the list is Nome, AK, , with Berkeley, CA, and Sitka, AK, close behind in the second and third positions. Sitka, AK, beats the national average by $9,298 (20.5%), and Nome, AK, furthers that trend with another $10,925 (24.0%) above the $45,428 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Tower Operator appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 7% between Nome, AK, 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 Tower Operator role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Nome, AK | $56,353 | $27.09 |
Berkeley, CA | $55,624 | $26.74 |
Sitka, AK | $54,726 | $26.31 |
Santa Clara, CA | $53,335 | $25.64 |
Sunnyvale, CA | $53,317 | $25.63 |
Livermore, CA | $53,287 | $25.62 |
San Jose, CA | $53,241 | $25.60 |
San Francisco, CA | $53,072 | $25.52 |
Daly City, CA | $52,637 | $25.31 |
Santa Cruz, CA | $52,454 | $25.22 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Tower Operator Jobs in the U.S.
We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Tower Operator category.
For example Financial Trader jobs pay as much as $51,346 (113.0%) more than the average Tower Operator salary of $45,428. If you're qualified, finding work as a Financial Trader may help you make more money than that of the average Tower Operator position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Financial Trader | $96,774 | $46.53 |
Municipal Finance | $92,631 | $44.53 |
Police Records Manager | $75,181 | $36.14 |
Airport Operations Officer | $58,494 | $28.12 |
Fire Department Dispatcher | $45,823 | $22.03 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
