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The national median salary for Agricultural Equipment Operators is $41,725 per year ($20.06/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $36,816 and $48,090 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $58,656 per year. There are approximately 28,500 agricultural equipment operators employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Drive and control equipment to support agricultural activities such as tilling soil; planting, cultivating, and harvesting crops; feeding and herding livestock; or removing animal waste. May perform tasks such as crop baling or hay bucking. May operate stationary equipment to perform post-harvest tasks such as husking, shelling, threshing, and ginning.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+7.7%
Faster than average
Annual openings
11K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
65K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
5% from new growth95% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
No formal educational credential
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Support Activities for Crop Production
NAICS 115100
15K
$37,600
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4241, 4247, and 4249 only)
NAICS 4240A3
6K
$46,680
Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers
NAICS 424500
3K
$46,160
Beverage Manufacturing
NAICS 312100
640
$47,880
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
NAICS 611300
530
$61,430
Wage range across top 5 industries: $37,600 to $61,430 (63% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$16.11
$33,509
P25
$17.70
$36,816
P50MEDIAN
$20.06
$41,725
P75
$23.12
$48,090
P90
$28.20
$58,656
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · other sector
Active
Openings Rate
3.4%
Quits Rate
2.0%
The labor market rebounded in March: hires jumped to 5.6M (+655K) and separations rose to 5.4M (+356K), both more than offsetting February's drop. Job openings held at 6.9M. Quits ticked to 2.0%.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average agricultural equipment operators salary?
The national median salary for Agricultural Equipment Operators is $41,725 per year ($20.06/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $36,816 and $48,090 annually.
How much do top-earning agricultural equipment operators make?
The 90th percentile salary for Agricultural Equipment Operators is $58,656 per year ($28.20/hr). The 75th percentile is $48,090 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for agricultural equipment operators?
Entry-level Agricultural Equipment Operators (10th percentile) earn approximately $33,509 per year ($16.11/hr). The 25th percentile is $36,816 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.