45
Agricultural Equipment Operators is a notable career in the 45 category. This page provides verified data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0 (2024), helping you compare Agricultural Equipment Operators against similar careers and make data-driven decisions.
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11
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13
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13
| soc | 45-2091 |
| title | Agricultural Equipment Operators |
| onet code | 45-2091.00 |
| description | 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. |
| job zone | 1 |
| major group | 45 |
| tot emp | 30,940 |
| a mean | 43,920 |
| a median | 42,580 |
| a pct10 | 31,240 |
| a pct25 | 36,640 |
| a pct75 | 48,690 |
| a pct90 | 57,790 |
| h mean | 21 |
| h median | 20 |
The day-to-day work of a agricultural equipment operators typically centers on load and unload crops or containers of materials, manually or using conveyors, handtrucks, forklifts, or transfer augers. Every task listed below is classified as Core in O*NET — they collectively define the role. Task descriptions below are quoted from the U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET 29.0 occupation profile.
Workers in this occupation rely most on Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, and Troubleshooting. Across the top 7 skills, the average O*NET importance score is 3.25 out of 5 — moderately weighted for this role. Importance reflects how essential each skill is for adequate job performance.
Among working agricultural equipment operators, the most common entry qualification is a Less than a High School Diploma (56.8%). Bachelor's-degree-or-higher credentials are reported by 0% of incumbents. Most workers enter without a four-year degree, making this a relatively accessible career path.
Median annual pay is highest in Montana at $53,900 and lowest in Alabama at $29,410 — a 1.8× spread. The top five states (Montana, New York, Delaware, Ohio, Indiana) average $50,690. Figures reflect BLS OEWS May 2024 state-level wage estimates; percentiles shown are for full-time wage-earners in each state.
| State | Median | Mean | 10th % | 90th % | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montana | $53,900 | $52,500 | $35,820 | $65,170 | 80 |
| New York | $51,100 | $55,680 | $43,680 | $78,990 | 130 |
| Delaware | $50,450 | $50,270 | $32,540 | $61,620 | 60 |
| Ohio | $49,070 | $52,850 | $36,910 | $60,640 | 970 |
| Indiana | $48,930 | $50,980 | $38,590 | $69,680 | 830 |
| Iowa | $48,690 | $49,220 | $38,400 | $57,560 | 1,710 |
| Minnesota | $48,390 | $50,290 | $39,880 | $60,310 | 780 |
| North Dakota | $47,640 | $52,760 | $38,890 | $81,690 | 300 |
| Wisconsin | $47,520 | $48,390 | $37,700 | $59,380 | 670 |
| Maine | $47,500 | $49,810 | $43,940 | $57,760 | 40 |
| Illinois | $46,810 | $48,100 | $38,420 | $57,330 | 2,310 |
| New Jersey | $46,650 | $49,900 | $40,420 | $62,790 | — |
| Missouri | $46,610 | $48,630 | $36,260 | $63,190 | 1,080 |
| South Dakota | $45,890 | $46,910 | $39,160 | $53,560 | 230 |
| Virginia | $45,740 | $46,600 | $37,070 | $57,650 | 200 |
| Nebraska | $45,690 | $47,840 | $39,630 | $57,000 | 1,070 |
| Idaho | $44,700 | $45,280 | $27,040 | $71,950 | 350 |
| Kentucky | $44,700 | $50,440 | $36,860 | $87,990 | 230 |
| Kansas | $44,510 | $42,950 | $36,310 | $49,380 | 890 |
| Colorado | $42,940 | $46,470 | $31,470 | $62,040 | 110 |
| Michigan | $42,600 | $41,820 | $28,700 | $50,320 | 670 |
| South Carolina | $42,580 | $42,470 | $28,100 | $52,780 | 190 |
| Utah | $42,060 | $43,570 | $28,040 | $71,330 | 60 |
| Pennsylvania | $41,660 | $43,140 | $31,310 | $59,940 | 450 |
| Maryland | $41,440 | $43,580 | $38,500 | $54,800 | 330 |
| North Carolina | $40,300 | $40,880 | $26,260 | $49,960 | 570 |
| California | $40,130 | $43,400 | $34,240 | $56,950 | 8,480 |
| Tennessee | $39,980 | $40,550 | $35,760 | $47,090 | 550 |
| Washington | $39,980 | $43,950 | $37,140 | $56,500 | 860 |
| Oregon | $39,730 | $41,940 | $35,050 | $51,080 | 330 |
| Hawaii | $39,440 | $44,100 | $39,440 | $64,670 | 70 |
| Massachusetts | $39,310 | $44,190 | $36,380 | $58,490 | 60 |
| Vermont | $36,610 | $42,480 | $35,150 | $52,190 | 50 |
| Florida | $35,510 | $41,340 | $28,710 | $49,680 | 920 |
| New Mexico | $35,460 | $35,730 | $27,750 | $39,740 | 190 |
| Georgia | $34,770 | $36,200 | $28,810 | $47,110 | 890 |
| Oklahoma | $34,340 | $40,720 | $27,040 | $62,100 | 210 |
| Arizona | $34,270 | $37,140 | $31,760 | $46,370 | 1,020 |
| Mississippi | $30,570 | $32,370 | $20,600 | $45,760 | 400 |
| Arkansas | $30,380 | $34,530 | $28,170 | $45,110 | 670 |
| Texas | $29,930 | $32,920 | $21,230 | $43,630 | 1,480 |
| Alabama | $29,410 | $33,850 | $27,330 | $45,800 | 280 |
Recruiters and job boards use several alternate titles for agricultural equipment operators. Knowing these variants widens your job search — listings for Ag Equipment Operator or Agricultural Equipment Operator frequently describe the same role. The list below is a sample of the most common industry variants.
This data helps you understand how Agricultural Equipment Operators compares to others in the 45 category. Use it to make informed decisions based on verified data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0.
careers with the closest data values to Agricultural Equipment Operators
The CertifyWize editorial team aggregates and verifies careers data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0. Every statistic on this site is cross-referenced against the official source before publication, with quarterly re-verification cycles.
Read our full methodology or contact us with corrections.
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