First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers Salaries by State

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for first-line supervisors of production and operating workerss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).

National mean salary $76,600 ≈ $37/hr
National median salary $74,450
Total employment 673,430 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth +1.2% Slower than average
Annual openings 67,700 per year (avg)
Employment 2024→2034 698,600 → 706,900 (+8,300)
Typical entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Salary Map

Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.

💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States

  1. Wyoming$95,100
  2. District of Columbia$87,500
  3. Louisiana$87,340
  4. Connecticut$85,810
  5. Rhode Island$85,280

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

  1. Arkansas$69,930
  2. Florida$71,290
  3. Tennessee$71,330
  4. North Carolina$72,480
  5. Nevada$73,190
#StateMeanMedian Hourlyvs. U.S.Employment
1 Wyoming $95,100 $90,390 $46 +24.2% 1,470
2 District of Columbia $87,500 $80,030 $42 +14.2% 350
3 Louisiana $87,340 $77,520 $42 +14% 9,350
4 Connecticut $85,810 $83,150 $41 +12% 9,150
5 Rhode Island $85,280 $81,650 $41 +11.3% 2,660
6 New Jersey $84,850 $81,110 $41 +10.8% 15,040
7 Colorado $84,740 $78,890 $41 +10.6% 9,580
8 Delaware $84,350 $79,100 $41 +10.1% 1,450
9 Washington $84,000 $79,310 $40 +9.7% 14,500
10 New Hampshire $83,350 $79,310 $40 +8.8% 3,000
11 Massachusetts $83,140 $79,920 $40 +8.5% 12,390
12 Maryland $82,370 $78,520 $40 +7.5% 6,100
13 New York $82,260 $78,580 $40 +7.4% 20,830
14 Alaska $82,100 $77,960 $39 +7.2% 1,110
15 California $82,000 $76,840 $39 +7% 48,550

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 521 metro areas.

#Metro areaMedianMeanEmployment
1 Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA $115,340 $106,970 500
2 Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT $105,690 $107,590 1,000
3 Lexington Park, MD $99,980 $100,730 130
4 Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area $98,370 $99,330 560
5 Eastern Wyoming nonmetropolitan area $96,670 $96,770 510
6 Baton Rouge, LA $95,810 $105,960 2,270
7 Lake Charles, LA $92,560 $100,470 750
8 Spartanburg, SC $92,070 $83,050 2,380
9 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $91,500 $94,350 5,050
10 Decatur, IL $91,450 $88,290 350

Pay by Industry

Highest-paying industries employing first-line supervisors of production and operating workerss (BLS OEWS, by median).

#IndustryMedianMeanEmployment
1 Nuclear Electric Power Generation $155,320 $150,850 1,410
2 Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution $136,270 $136,730 5,740
3 Performing Arts Companies $134,930 $117,350
4 Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters $134,930 $119,190
5 Pipeline Transportation of Crude Oil $133,000 $133,570 330
6 Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries $132,590 $135,730 220
7 Motion Picture and Video Industries $132,590 $136,920 210
8 Other Pipeline Transportation $131,940 $132,000 190
9 Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation $130,650 $134,300 2,330
10 Natural Gas Distribution $130,380 $130,860 2,260
11 Hydroelectric Power Generation $130,260 $127,350 260
12 Utilities $127,990 $123,830 10,480

Workforce Deep-Dive

Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.

Annual wage distribution

< $10K
110,445
$10-20k
21,856
$20-30k
42,525
$30-40k
83,367
$40-50k
97,768
$50-60k
114,963
$60-70k
107,830
$70-80k
92,917
$80-90k
72,764
$90-100k
48,590
$100-110k
34,602
$110-120k
22,226
$120-130k
20,034
$130-140k
9,052
$140-150k
7,046
$150-160k
11,619
$160-170k
4,921
$170-180k
3,524
$180-190k
2,123
$190-200k
1,209
$200k+
8,772

Pay by age band

16-24
$36,465
25-34
$58,294
35-44
$67,588
45-54
$71,520
55-64
$63,777
65+
$32,717

Education level

Regular high school diploma
$56,442
1 or more years of college credit, no degree
$60,533
Bachelors Degree
$76,129
Some college, but less than 1 year
$61,298
Associates Degree
$70,291
GED or alternative credential
$55,691
Masters Degree
$91,222
12th grade - no diploma
$52,921
No schooling completed
$44,559
Grade 10
$49,453
Grade 11
$45,926
Grade 9
$46,522
Grade 8
$44,826
Grade 6
$52,676
Professional degree
$77,460
Doctorate degree
$153,106
Grade 5
$49,289
Grade 7
$53,794
Grade 3
$35,489
Grade 4
$72,803
Kindergarten
$10,958
Nursery school, preschool
$105,785
Grade 1
$51,995

Full-time vs part-time

Full-time
772,387 · $70,767
Part-time
30,598 · $32,236

Race / ethnicity

White
$64,384
Black
$57,147
Two or More Races
$57,969
Other
$54,912
Asian
$59,219
American Indian
$54,246
American Indian and Alaska Native tribes specified; or American Indian or Alaska Native, not specified and no other races
$52,386
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
$64,023
Alaska Native
$48,727

Top fields of study

Business Management And Administration
$75,207
General Business
$69,096
Mechanical Engineering
$128,514
Biology
$76,545
Psychology
$65,084
Criminal Justice And Fire Protection
$75,194
Chemical Engineering
$133,440
Marketing And Marketing Research
$96,177

Top Skills

Most important skills for this role (O*NET importance, 1–5 scale).

Active Listening
3.9
Time Management
3.9
Speaking
3.9
Management of Personnel Resources
3.9
Monitoring
3.8
Social Perceptiveness
3.8
Coordination
3.8
Critical Thinking
3.8
Judgment and Decision Making
3.6
Reading Comprehension
3.5
Writing
3.1
Complex Problem Solving
3.1

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do first-line supervisors of production and operating workers make in the U.S.?

The median first-line supervisors of production and operating workers salary in the United States is $74,450 per year (mean $76,600), and about 80% earn between $47,130 and $108,750.

How much do first-line supervisors of production and operating workers make per hour?

Roughly $37 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $76,600 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays first-line supervisors of production and operating workers the most?

Wyoming has the highest average pay for first-line supervisors of production and operating workers at $95,100 per year (median $90,390).

What is the job outlook for first-line supervisors of production and operating workers?

Employment is projected to change +1.2% from 2024 to 2034 (Slower than average), with about 67,700 openings per year.