Radio Operator Salary in U.S.

The salary statistics of radio operators are shown in Table 1. In the next few tables we compare the average salaries of radio operators within different industry sectors and in the 50 states of the United States. The radio operators annual salary statistics are from the national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022 and published in April 2023 [1].

Table 1. Radio Operator Salary in U.S. (2022 survey)

Percentile BracketAverage Annual Salary
10th Percentile Wage
$21,850
25th Percentile Wage
$29,480
50th Percentile Wage
$42,220
75th Percentile Wage
$57,510
90th Percentile Wage
$71,470

Table 1 shows the average annual salary for radio operators. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) radio operators is $71,470. The median annual salary (50th percentile) is $42,220. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $21,850. Note that in the United States, the annual salary of the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is almost 227% higher than that of the bottom 10 percent.

Median salary trend

The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of radio operators from 2012 to 2018.

YearMedian SalaryYearly Growth6-Year Growth
2018
$42,220
-5.00% 0.33%
2017
$44,330
-4.33% -
2016
$46,250
-8.19% -
2015
$50,040
7.31% -
2014
$46,380
3.79% -
2013
$44,620
5.69% -
2012
$42,080
- -

Table 2. Radio Operator Salary by Industry Sector (2022 survey)

The average salaries of radio operators in 6 major industry sectors are shown in Table 2. We note that the salaries vary considerably within different industry sectors. The highest paying industry sector for radio operators occupations is the transportation and warehousing sector with an annual salary $49,040. The lowest paying sector is the health care and social assistance sector (annual salary $31,770).

Industry Sector Median Annual Salary
Transportation and Warehousing
$49,040
Federal, State, and Local Government
$48,520
Educational Services
$48,060
Information
$36,900
Mining
$35,040
Health Care and Social Assistance
$31,770

Table 3. Median Annual Wage of Radio Operators by States (2022 survey)

From the above tables we note that not only radio operators salaries vary considerably based on one's education and experience, and the industry sectors, they also change considerably from state to state. In the following table we compare the median salary of radio operators in all 50 states of the United States. We note that the median annual salaries range from $18,030 to $68,200. The highest paying state for radio operators is Missouri with a median annual salary of $68,200. The lowest paying state is Puerto Rico with a median annual salary of $18,030. For more salary information of radio operators profession in a specific state, use the links in the table.

State Name Median Annual Salary
Missouri
$68,200
New York
$62,710
Michigan
$57,230
Florida
$56,340
District of Columbia
$55,520
Minnesota
$52,400
California
$47,470
Tennessee
$46,170
Massachusetts
$46,160
Ohio
$39,330
Maryland
$38,610
Indiana
$36,490
Texas
$35,600
West Virginia
$33,540
Georgia
$30,340
Louisiana
$30,200
Illinois
$29,650
Puerto Rico
$18,030