Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021

45-2091 Agricultural Equipment Operators

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.

National estimates for Agricultural Equipment Operators
Industry profile for Agricultural Equipment Operators
Geographic profile for Agricultural Equipment Operators

National estimates for Agricultural Equipment Operators:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Agricultural Equipment Operators:

Employment (1)	Employment RSE (3)	Mean hourly wage	Mean annual wage (2)	Wage RSE (3)
26,180	3.3 %	$ 17.44	$ 36,280	0.9 %

Percentile wage estimates for Agricultural Equipment Operators:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$ 12.26	$ 14.20	$ 17.48	$ 19.39	$ 22.86
Annual Wage (2)	$ 25,490	$ 29,540	$ 36,360	$ 40,330	$ 47,540

Industry profile for Agricultural Equipment Operators:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Agricultural Equipment Operators are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Agricultural Equipment Operators, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Agricultural Equipment Operators:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Support Activities for Crop Production	14,640	4.36	$ 16.56	$ 34,430
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4241, 4247, and 4249 only)	5,250	1.00	$ 19.33	$ 40,210
Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers	1,950	2.86	$ 18.84	$ 39,190
Employment Services	350	0.01	$ 17.51	$ 36,420
Scientific Research and Development Services	330	0.04	$ 17.41	$ 36,220

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Agricultural Equipment Operators:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Support Activities for Crop Production	14,640	4.36	$ 16.56	$ 34,430
Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers	1,950	2.86	$ 18.84	$ 39,190
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4241, 4247, and 4249 only)	5,250	1.00	$ 19.33	$ 40,210
Support Activities for Animal Production	220	0.69	$ 15.98	$ 33,230
Grain and Oilseed Milling	200	0.31	$ 17.85	$ 37,130

Top paying industries for Agricultural Equipment Operators:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Real Estate	(8)	(8)	$ 20.76	$ 43,190
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	150	0.01	$ 20.61	$ 42,870
Food and Beverage Stores (4451 and 4452 only)	(8)	(8)	$ 20.36	$ 42,360
Lawn and Garden Equipment and Supplies Stores	200	0.11	$ 20.19	$ 41,990
Beverage Manufacturing	130	0.05	$ 19.94	$ 41,480

Geographic profile for Agricultural Equipment Operators:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Agricultural Equipment Operators are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Agricultural Equipment Operators, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Map of employment of agricultural equipment operators by state, May 2021

States with the highest employment level in Agricultural Equipment Operators:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
California	5,160	0.31	1.68	$ 17.32	$ 36,030
Iowa	2,050	1.38	7.44	$ 19.41	$ 40,370
Texas	1,630	0.13	0.72	$ 15.06	$ 31,320
Florida	1,610	0.19	1.01	$ 14.68	$ 30,540
Illinois	1,420	0.25	1.36	$ 20.31	$ 42,250

Map of location quotient of agricultural equipment operators by state, May 2021

States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Agricultural Equipment Operators:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Iowa	2,050	1.38	7.44	$ 19.41	$ 40,370
North Dakota	300	0.77	4.13	$ 20.57	$ 42,780
Kansas	960	0.72	3.88	$ 19.06	$ 39,640
Nebraska	530	0.56	2.99	$ 18.06	$ 37,550
Mississippi	490	0.44	2.39	$ 16.13	$ 33,540

Map of annual mean wages of agricultural equipment operators by state, May 2021

Top paying states for Agricultural Equipment Operators:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
New Jersey	(8)	(8)	(8)	$ 23.08	$ 48,010
Colorado	80	0.03	0.17	$ 20.86	$ 43,380
South Dakota	90	0.22	1.17	$ 20.69	$ 43,030
Ohio	580	0.11	0.60	$ 20.64	$ 42,920
North Dakota	300	0.77	4.13	$ 20.57	$ 42,780

Map of employment of agricultural equipment operators by area, May 2021

Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Agricultural Equipment Operators:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Salinas, CA	670	3.97	21.37	$ 16.59	$ 34,500
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	650	0.27	1.43	$ 14.37	$ 29,880
Bakersfield, CA	520	1.68	9.04	$ 16.54	$ 34,400
Fresno, CA	440	1.19	6.38	$ 16.43	$ 34,180
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	420	0.10	0.53	$ 21.58	$ 44,880
Visalia-Porterville, CA	400	2.67	14.34	$ 16.34	$ 33,990
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA	330	0.92	4.95	$ 17.67	$ 36,740
Napa, CA	300	4.31	23.18	$ 21.58	$ 44,890
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	290	1.49	8.00	$ 17.57	$ 36,550
Yakima, WA	260	2.91	15.66	$ 15.46	$ 32,170

Map of location quotient of agricultural equipment operators by area, May 2021

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Agricultural Equipment Operators:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Hanford-Corcoran, CA	220	5.19	27.96	$ 15.92	$ 33,110
Napa, CA	300	4.31	23.18	$ 21.58	$ 44,890
Salinas, CA	670	3.97	21.37	$ 16.59	$ 34,500
Yuma, AZ	210	3.37	18.14	$ 15.42	$ 32,080
El Centro, CA	200	3.35	18.01	$ 15.99	$ 33,270
Yakima, WA	260	2.91	15.66	$ 15.46	$ 32,170
Visalia-Porterville, CA	400	2.67	14.34	$ 16.34	$ 33,990
Merced, CA	130	1.75	9.42	$ 16.42	$ 34,150
Bakersfield, CA	520	1.68	9.04	$ 16.54	$ 34,400
Albany, GA	90	1.57	8.44	$ 15.02	$ 31,250

Map of annual mean wages of agricultural equipment operators by area, May 2021

Top paying metropolitan areas for Agricultural Equipment Operators:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Dubuque, IA	30	0.59	3.17	$ 21.85	$ 45,450
Wichita, KS	50	0.19	1.03	$ 21.80	$ 45,340
Kansas City, MO-KS	130	0.13	0.71	$ 21.75	$ 45,240
Napa, CA	300	4.31	23.18	$ 21.58	$ 44,890
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	420	0.10	0.53	$ 21.58	$ 44,880
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	130	0.05	0.27	$ 21.53	$ 44,780
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	180	0.10	0.54	$ 21.44	$ 44,600
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA	60	0.03	0.15	$ 21.20	$ 44,090
Columbus, OH	60	0.06	0.33	$ 20.94	$ 43,560
Rochester, MN	40	0.33	1.78	$ 20.94	$ 43,550

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Agricultural Equipment Operators:

Nonmetropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area	800	2.12	11.41	$ 18.61	$ 38,710
West Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area	600	3.27	17.60	$ 15.44	$ 32,100
Northwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area	570	4.33	23.31	$ 19.51	$ 40,570
Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area	380	1.83	9.83	$ 20.11	$ 41,820
Northwest Mississippi nonmetropolitan area	310	3.58	19.28	$ 15.91	$ 33,090

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Agricultural Equipment Operators:

Nonmetropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Northwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area	570	4.33	23.31	$ 19.51	$ 40,570
Northwest Mississippi nonmetropolitan area	310	3.58	19.28	$ 15.91	$ 33,090
South Florida nonmetropolitan area	260	3.43	18.44	$ 15.23	$ 31,680
West Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area	600	3.27	17.60	$ 15.44	$ 32,100
East Arkansas nonmetropolitan area	210	3.23	17.40	$ 16.44	$ 34,200

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Agricultural Equipment Operators:

Nonmetropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
East North Dakota nonmetropolitan area	110	1.74	9.34	$ 22.55	$ 46,910
East Central Illinois nonmetropolitan area	140	1.25	6.75	$ 20.92	$ 43,510
East South Dakota nonmetropolitan area	70	0.54	2.93	$ 20.73	$ 43,110
West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area	80	0.75	4.01	$ 20.61	$ 42,870
Southern Ohio nonmetropolitan area	30	0.22	1.18	$ 20.60	$ 42,850

About May 2021 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.

(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.

Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022