SOC 45-2091 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Agricultural Equipment Operators — Montana
Montana
In Montana the median wage for Agricultural Equipment Operators reaches $58,770 a year.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow faster than average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +7.7%
- Openings per year
- 10,500
- Typical entry-level education
- No formal educational credential
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
7.1% of people in this occupation work for themselves.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Montana.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
In Montana the median wage for Agricultural Equipment Operators reaches $58,770 a year. That is 40.8% more than the national median of $41,730. Pay ranges from under $28,790 at the tenth percentile to more than $73,650 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $45,500 to $65,890.
Employment stands at 130, or 0.3 jobs per thousand held locally. Montana ranks number 1st out of 40 states by median pay for this occupation. Of the 604 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 291st.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $28,790 | −31.0% |
| 25th | $45,500 | +9.0% |
| Median (50th) | $58,770 | +40.8% |
| 75th | $65,890 | +57.9% |
| 90th | $73,650 | +76.5% |
| Mean | $54,400 | +30.4% |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Montana run 5.4% below the national average, so the median of $58,770 goes as far as $62,125 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 48.9% above the national median in real terms.
Published median
$58,770as reported by BLSLocal price level
94.6US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$62,125US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $58,770 a year, 40.8% above the national median.
- Published pay spans $28,790 to $73,650 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 130 jobs in this occupation.
- It ranks 1st of 40 states for this occupation.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Agricultural Equipment Operators in Montana?
The median annual wage is $58,770, or $28.25 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $41,730, so pay in Montana is 40.8% higher. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Montana earns more than $73,650 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $28,790 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 130 jobs in this occupation in Montana. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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