Agricultural Equipment Operators: Career Overview
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.
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What Tasks Do Agricultural Equipment Operators Take On?
The day-to-day responsibilities of agricultural equipment operators cover:
- 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.
Key Skills and Knowledge
Effective agricultural equipment operators combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Most Important Skills
The competencies that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Top Knowledge Areas
Other Agricultural Equipment Operators Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- Agricultural Equipment Operator (Ag Equipment Operator)
- Agricultural Equipment Operators
- Agricultural Farm Equipment Operator
- Agricultural Plow Operator
- Agriculture Equipment Operator
- Baler
- Baler Operator
- Bean Picker Machine Operator
How Many Agricultural Equipment Operators Are There?
There are roughly 143,965 agricultural equipment operators working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to grow by +0.8% over the projection horizon.
Agricultural Equipment Operators Pay
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $25,669 |
| Hourly median | $12.34 |
| 10th percentile | $20,000 |
| 25th percentile | $22,000 |
| 75th percentile | $29,800 |
| 90th percentile | $33,931 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Montana | $53,900 |
| New York | $51,100 |
| Delaware | $50,450 |
| Ohio | $49,070 |
| Indiana | $48,930 |
| Iowa | $48,690 |
| Minnesota | $48,390 |
| North Dakota | $47,640 |
| Wisconsin | $47,520 |
| Maine | $47,500 |
| Illinois | $46,810 |
| New Jersey | $46,650 |
| Missouri | $46,610 |
| South Dakota | $45,890 |
| Virginia | $45,740 |
| Nebraska | $45,690 |
| Idaho | $44,700 |
| Kentucky | $44,700 |
| Kansas | $44,510 |
| Colorado | $42,940 |
| Michigan | $42,600 |
| South Carolina | $42,580 |
| Utah | $42,060 |
| Pennsylvania | $41,660 |
| Maryland | $41,440 |
| North Carolina | $40,300 |
| California | $40,130 |
| Washington | $39,980 |
| Tennessee | $39,980 |
| Oregon | $39,730 |
| Hawaii | $39,440 |
| Massachusetts | $39,310 |
| Vermont | $36,610 |
| Florida | $35,510 |
| New Mexico | $35,460 |
| Georgia | $34,770 |
| Oklahoma | $34,340 |
| Arizona | $34,270 |
| Mississippi | $30,570 |
| Arkansas | $30,380 |
| Texas | $29,930 |
| Alabama | $29,410 |
| Puerto Rico | $20,560 |
Where Agricultural Equipment Operators Earn the Most
Earnings for agricultural equipment operators shift depending on where you work. These regions lead on median pay:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Lakes | $47,104 | 17.7% | 1.39 |
| Plains States | $46,978 | 19.6% | 3.69 |
| Rocky Mountains | $45,340 | 1.9% | 1.35 |
| Middle Atlantic | $43,394 | 3.1% | 0.43 |
| New England | $40,594 | 0.5% | 0.40 |
| Far Western US | $40,098 | 31.6% | 2.18 |
| Southeast | $36,104 | 15.9% | 1.00 |
| Southwest | $32,138 | 9.4% | 0.95 |
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Agricultural Equipment Operators
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | IN | $54,020 | 140 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | MN | $53,510 | 100 |
| Columbus, OH | OH | $52,370 | 100 |
| Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN | IN | $51,200 | 40 |
| Rochester, NY | NY | $50,960 | 30 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | DC | $50,460 | 40 |
| Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | IA | $50,170 | 140 |
| Dubuque, IA | IA | $50,010 | 40 |
Which Industries Hire Agricultural Equipment Operators
The largest employers of agricultural equipment operators work in these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 16,020 | $37,940 |
| Wholesale Trade | 9,560 | $46,200 |
| Manufacturing | 1,820 | $46,460 |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 930 | $46,680 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 700 | $43,150 |
| Retail Trade | 670 | $47,110 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 160 | $41,790 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 120 | $38,220 |
Agricultural Equipment Operators work in the following industries:
Tech Stack
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
The Day-to-Day Environment
The on-the-job environment of agricultural equipment operators tends to involve the following characteristics:
- Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment
- Exposed to Very Hot or Cold Temperatures
- Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals
How to Become Agricultural Equipment Operators
Typical agricultural equipment operators positions require less than a high school diploma as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation (Primary-Long)
- Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse (Primary-Short)
- Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators (Supplemental)
- Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (Supplemental)
- Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining (Supplemental)
- Industrial Machinery Mechanics (Supplemental)
- Maintenance Workers, Machinery (Supplemental)
- Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (Primary-Short)
Degree Programs
Aspiring agricultural equipment operators commonly pursue programs in:
Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, and Related Sciences
1 programs across 1 majors
Sources
Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 45-2091.00 (Agricultural Equipment Operators).
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