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 median · BLS
$41,730
▼ -2%YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$43,710
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
28,500
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.
Pay range for Agricultural Equipment Operators
Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.
Percentile
All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay
$33,500
25th
$36,810
Median (50th)
$41,730
75th
$48,100
90th — top pay
$58,650
Hourly ⇄ annual pay
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⇄
Monthly—
Every 2 weeks—
Weekly—
Daily—
Based on
hrs/week ×
weeks/year
= 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035
Job outlook for Agricultural Equipment Operators
BLS projects employment of agricultural equipment operators to grow 8.6% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations.
About 10,100 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.
Jobs 2025 → 2035
66,900 → 72,600
+5,700 jobs
Projected change
+8.6%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
10,100
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
No formal educational credential
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
7.6% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 2)
Very Little to Some Preparation Needed. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Agricultural Equipment Operators salaries by state
BLS state medians, plus the same figure adjusted for local prices (BEA Regional Price Parities). Tap a state for its full range and H-1B pay.
State
Median
Jobs
Cost-adjusted
Profile
Agricultural Equipment Operators salaries by metro area
Search by city, ZIP code or metro name. Tap a metro for its full range.
Metro area
Median
Jobs
Cost-adjusted
Profile
Skills & tools
Skills needed for Agricultural Equipment Operators
How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.
Top skills
Operation and Control3.9
Operations Monitoring3.8
Troubleshooting3.1
Active Listening3.0
Equipment Maintenance3.0
Quality Control Analysis3.0
Repairing3.0
Critical Thinking2.9
Social Perceptiveness2.9
Coordination2.8
Top knowledge areas
English Language3.4
Mechanical2.9
Public Safety and Security2.8
Mathematics2.8
Transportation2.7
Production and Processing2.7
Customer and Personal Service2.6
Chemistry2.6
Software and technology used
Microsoft AccessMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft PowerPointFarm Management Software Hay and Crop ManagerMartens Farms Farm Site MateMartens Farms Farm Trac
Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
About the job
What agricultural equipment operators do
Load and unload crops or containers of materials, manually or using conveyors, handtrucks, forklifts, or transfer augers.
Mix specified materials or chemicals, and dump solutions, powders, or seeds into planter or sprayer machinery.
Spray fertilizer or pesticide solutions to control insects, fungus and weed growth, and diseases, using hand sprayers.
Observe and listen to machinery operation to detect equipment malfunctions.
Manipulate controls to set, activate, and adjust mechanisms on machinery.
Operate or tend equipment used in agricultural production, such as tractors, combines, and irrigation equipment.
Adjust, repair, and service farm machinery and notify supervisors when machinery malfunctions.
Attach farm implements such as plows, discs, sprayers, or harvesters to tractors, using bolts and hand tools.
Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.
Similar jobs and how they pay
Occupations O*NET lists as closely related to Agricultural Equipment Operators, with BLS national medians compared with this occupation's $41,730.
