Agricultural Equipment Operators Salary
The median pay for a agricultural equipment operators in St. Louis, MO-IL is $47,280/year ($22.73/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $38K at the entry level to $69K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.09), that's roughly $49,721 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,218/month, about 37.8% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $47K get you in St. Louis?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by St. Louis’s Regional Price Parity (95.09). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About agricultural equipment operators
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What this looks like in St. Louis
St. Louis sits well above the national pay line for agricultural equipment operators, local pay runs about 13% higher than the U.S. median of $42K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,218/month, which is 37.9% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 95.09) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for agricultural equipment operators in metros near St. Louis, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City | $48K | $51K |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $47K | $45K |
| Omaha | $48K | $52K |
| Des Moines-West Des Moines | $46K | $50K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, St. Louis, MO-IL
Entry-level agricultural equipment operators (10th percentile) start around $38K. Mid-career wages sit at $47K. Top earners bring in $69K or more, a $30K spread from bottom to top.
Agricultural Equipment Operators pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Agricultural Equipment Operators salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montana | $59K | +41% | 130 |
| Louisiana | $59K | +40% | 270 |
| New York | $50K | +20% | N/A |
| Delaware | $50K | +20% | 40 |
| Massachusetts | $49K | +18% | 40 |
| Minnesota | $49K | +16% | 900 |
| North Dakota | $48K | +15% | 430 |
| South Dakota | $48K | +15% | 240 |
| Virginia | $48K | +15% | 120 |
| Ohio | $47K | +13% | 600 |
| Iowa | $47K | +13% | 1,530 |
| Pennsylvania | $47K | +13% | 390 |
| Wisconsin | $47K | +13% | 830 |
| Nebraska | $47K | +12% | 1,090 |
| Missouri | $46K | +11% | 900 |
| Maine | $46K | +11% | 60 |
| Indiana | $46K | +11% | 810 |
| Illinois | $46K | +10% | 1,910 |
| Kansas | $46K | +9% | 670 |
| Oregon | $44K | +6% | 310 |
| Michigan | $42K | +2% | 460 |
| Kentucky | $42K | +1% | 190 |
| New Jersey | $42K | -0% | 70 |
| North Carolina | $40K | -5% | 550 |
| Maryland | $40K | -5% | 180 |
| Idaho | $39K | -7% | 490 |
| California | $39K | -7% | 7,940 |
| Washington | $38K | -8% | 550 |
| Tennessee | $38K | -10% | 390 |
| Colorado | $37K | -11% | N/A |
| Florida | $37K | -12% | 790 |
| Arizona | $37K | -12% | 730 |
| Mississippi | $36K | -13% | 280 |
| New Mexico | $36K | -15% | 130 |
| Georgia | $35K | -15% | 570 |
| Oklahoma | $35K | -16% | 170 |
| South Carolina | $34K | -17% | 380 |
| Texas | $34K | -18% | 2,200 |
| Alabama | $34K | -19% | 370 |
| Arkansas | $32K | -23% | 350 |
Showing 1–10 of 40 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track agricultural equipment operators salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when St. Louis numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a agricultural equipment operator afford a 2BR apartment alone in St. Louis?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $47K, rent takes 37.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,218/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,000/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for agricultural equipment operators in St. Louis?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new agricultural equipment operators typically earn — is $38K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,296/month. At HUD’s $1,218/month FMR, rent would take 53% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is agricultural equipment operator a high-paying job in St. Louis?
Local pay is 13% above the national median — $47K here vs. $42K nationally.
How does St. Louis compare to the national average for agricultural equipment operators?
St. Louis pays $47K median vs. the U.S. average of $42K — that’s +13%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.09), the purchasing-power equivalent is $50K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do agricultural equipment operators make in St. Louis, MO-IL?
The median is $47,280 a year, that works out to about $23 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $38,260, and experienced agricultural equipment operators can clear $68,660. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $47K enough to live in St. Louis?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,214/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,218/month, which eats 37.9% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a agricultural equipment operators salary go in St. Louis?
St. Louis has a Regional Price Parity of 95.09 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median agricultural equipment operators salary is worth about $49,721 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do agricultural equipment operators get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.