Average Production Operator Salary in Pennsylvania, United States for 2026

In this article, we will look at the average Production Operator salary for 2026 in Pennsylvania and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the United States dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the USD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does a Production Operator Make in Pennsylvania?

A Production Operator working in Pennsylvania will typically earn around 40,300 USD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 19,000 USD to the highest average salary of 64,300 USD.

Average Annual Salary40,300 USD
Average Monthly Salary3,358 USD
Average Lowest Salary19,000 USD
Lowest Monthly Salary1,583 USD
Average Highest Salary64,300 USD
Highest Monthly Salary5,358 USD

These are average salaries for a Production Operator in Pennsylvania and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Production Operator to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Production Operator salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Production Operator Salaries in Pennsylvania

So we've looked at the average salaries a Production Operator will earn in Pennsylvania. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Production Operator can earn between 19,000 USD and 64,300 USD on average in Pennsylvania. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Production Operator in Pennsylvania is 42,300 USD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 42,300 USD, and 50% of the population earn more than 42,300 USD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Production Operator salary in Pennsylvania, 25% of the population are earning less than 25,800 USD while 75% of the population earn more than 25,800 USD.

75% of the population earn less than 55,300 USD, and 25% of the population earn more than 55,300 USD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Production Operator Salary by Experience Level in Pennsylvania

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average Production Operator salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Production Operator in Pennsylvania that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 22,600 USD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Production Operator salary would increase to 27,400 USD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Production Operator, the average salary would be 39,700 USD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 49,700 USD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Production Operator with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 53,800 USD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Production Operator with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 60,400 USD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years-
22,600 USD
2-5 Years+34%
27,400 USD
5-10 Years+48%
39,700 USD
10-15 Years+22%
49,700 USD
15-20 Years+9%
53,800 USD
20+ Years+8%
60,400 USD

Production Operator Salary by Education Level in Pennsylvania

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Production Operator in Pennsylvania based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. A Production Operator in Pennsylvania with a high school education can earn an average salary of 23,100 USD.
  • Certificate or Diploma. A Production Operator in Pennsylvania with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 36,800 USD.
  • Bachelor's Degree. A Production Operator in Pennsylvania with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 61,800 USD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School-
23,100 USD
Certificate or Diploma+57%
36,800 USD
Bachelor's Degree+68%
61,800 USD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in United States is around 39,500 to 118,000 USD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Production Operator Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Pennsylvania, a male production operator will earn an average of 36,800 USD, while a female production operator will earn around 36,400 USD.

This means that a male production operator earns approximately 1% more than a female production operator for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Pennsylvania

Male-
36,800 USD
Female-1%
36,400 USD

Production Operator Average Pay Raise in Pennsylvania

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Production Operator in Pennsylvania is around 9% every 17 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United States is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 9 ÷ 17 ) × 12  = 6%

What this means is that a Production Operator in Pennsylvania can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 6% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Pennsylvania for 2026

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in United States.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking-
4%
Energy-
8%
Information Technology-
3%
Healthcare-
7%
Travel-
2%
Construction-
6%
Education-
1%

Production Operator Bonus and Incentive Rates in Pennsylvania

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Production Operator is a low bonus based job, with 34% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

66% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4%.

Received Bonus-
34%
No Bonus-
66%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in United States earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector-
98,800 USD
Private Sector-6%
93,100 USD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Production Operator

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Production Operator in Pennsylvania.

Job TitleCategorySalary
Assembly ForemanFactory and Manufacturing27,400 USD
Assembly Line WorkerFactory and Manufacturing27,100 USD
Assembly SupervisorFactory and Manufacturing39,600 USD
Assistance Maintenance ManagerFactory and Manufacturing96,400 USD
Assistant Shipping ManagerFactory and Manufacturing87,500 USD
CNC MachinistFactory and Manufacturing61,300 USD
CNC OperatorFactory and Manufacturing58,600 USD
CNC ProgrammerFactory and Manufacturing64,900 USD
Chemical Equipment ControllerFactory and Manufacturing58,800 USD
Chemical Technican ApprenticeFactory and Manufacturing55,200 USD
Colour TechnologistFactory and Manufacturing35,300 USD
Contracts ManagerFactory and Manufacturing107,700 USD
Data Collection CoordinatorFactory and Manufacturing48,600 USD
Demand PlannerFactory and Manufacturing40,000 USD
Derrick OperatorFactory and Manufacturing29,600 USD
Director of ManufacturingFactory and Manufacturing167,100 USD
Dock WorkerFactory and Manufacturing26,600 USD
Drying TechnicianFactory and Manufacturing22,800 USD
Equipment OperatorFactory and Manufacturing23,600 USD
Export Sales CoordinatorFactory and Manufacturing80,500 USD
Factory SuperintendentFactory and Manufacturing38,000 USD
Factory WorkerFactory and Manufacturing30,800 USD
Failure Analysis TechnicianFactory and Manufacturing40,300 USD
Fiberglass LaminatorFactory and Manufacturing27,100 USD
Food TechnologistFactory and Manufacturing50,000 USD
Forklift DriverFactory and Manufacturing26,500 USD
Forklift OperatorFactory and Manufacturing26,300 USD
Forming Machine OperatorFactory and Manufacturing29,000 USD
Furnace OperatorFactory and Manufacturing24,200 USD
Gas Appliance RepairerFactory and Manufacturing27,800 USD
General Warehouse AssociateFactory and Manufacturing45,100 USD
HSE ManagerFactory and Manufacturing119,700 USD
Heavy Equipment OperatorFactory and Manufacturing33,300 USD
Industrial EngineerFactory and Manufacturing86,100 USD
Industrial Machinery MechanicFactory and Manufacturing53,800 USD
Industrial Production ManagerFactory and Manufacturing158,700 USD
Industrial Safety and Health EngineerFactory and Manufacturing81,300 USD
Intake OperatorFactory and Manufacturing35,000 USD
Key Account ManagerFactory and Manufacturing134,700 USD
Lift Truck OperatorFactory and Manufacturing26,300 USD
Loading SupervisorFactory and Manufacturing48,300 USD
Logistic CoordinatorFactory and Manufacturing72,400 USD
Logistics ClerkFactory and Manufacturing32,300 USD
Machine OperatorFactory and Manufacturing27,800 USD
MachinistFactory and Manufacturing25,500 USD
Maintenance ManagerFactory and Manufacturing99,900 USD
Maintenance Store ClerkFactory and Manufacturing25,800 USD
Manufacturing EngineerFactory and Manufacturing88,300 USD
Manufacturing Engineering ManagerFactory and Manufacturing128,200 USD
Manufacturing Engineering TechnologistFactory and Manufacturing101,400 USD
Manufacturing ManagerFactory and Manufacturing140,200 USD
Manufacturing OperativeFactory and Manufacturing47,100 USD
Manufacturing Production TechnicianFactory and Manufacturing32,200 USD
Manufacturing SupervisorFactory and Manufacturing72,300 USD
Manufacturing TechnicianFactory and Manufacturing31,400 USD
Materials ManagerFactory and Manufacturing118,900 USD
Materials SupervisorFactory and Manufacturing77,000 USD
Mechanical Fitter EngineerFactory and Manufacturing88,300 USD
Mechanical ForemanFactory and Manufacturing29,600 USD
Merchandise PlannerFactory and Manufacturing49,400 USD
Metrology EngineerFactory and Manufacturing79,600 USD
Operations EngineerFactory and Manufacturing86,100 USD
Operations ManagerFactory and Manufacturing128,200 USD
Order Management CoordinatorFactory and Manufacturing67,500 USD
Order Processing ManagerFactory and Manufacturing114,600 USD
Order SelectorFactory and Manufacturing30,200 USD
Package HandlerFactory and Manufacturing25,800 USD
Packaging ManagerFactory and Manufacturing93,800 USD
PackerFactory and Manufacturing29,900 USD
Packing Deputy SupervisorFactory and Manufacturing68,500 USD
Planning ManagerFactory and Manufacturing124,500 USD
Plant ManagerFactory and Manufacturing151,800 USD
Precision Instrument RepairerFactory and Manufacturing41,700 USD
Process TechnicianFactory and Manufacturing32,900 USD
Product ManagerFactory and Manufacturing138,700 USD
Production AnalystFactory and Manufacturing115,600 USD
Production DirectorFactory and Manufacturing163,800 USD
Production EngineerFactory and Manufacturing91,700 USD
Production Engineering SupervisorFactory and Manufacturing134,700 USD
Production InspectorFactory and Manufacturing88,300 USD
Production LaborerFactory and Manufacturing22,400 USD
Production ManagerFactory and Manufacturing152,700 USD
Production SchedulerFactory and Manufacturing63,900 USD
Production SupervisorFactory and Manufacturing84,600 USD
Production TechnicianFactory and Manufacturing35,200 USD
Production WorkerFactory and Manufacturing33,000 USD
Quality Control AnalystFactory and Manufacturing114,600 USD
Quality Control InspectorFactory and Manufacturing86,100 USD
Quality Control ManagerFactory and Manufacturing130,500 USD
SHEQ OfficerFactory and Manufacturing41,300 USD
Service TechnicianFactory and Manufacturing34,100 USD
Shipping ManagerFactory and Manufacturing130,500 USD
Small Engine MechanicFactory and Manufacturing45,300 USD
Spray PainterFactory and Manufacturing27,000 USD
Sterile Processing TechnicianFactory and Manufacturing32,200 USD
Structural WelderFactory and Manufacturing24,200 USD
Supply Chain OperativeFactory and Manufacturing76,800 USD
Technical OperatorFactory and Manufacturing35,400 USD
Technology Development ManagerFactory and Manufacturing158,900 USD
Testing TechnicianFactory and Manufacturing62,100 USD
ToolmakerFactory and Manufacturing46,400 USD
Warehouse Forklift OperatorFactory and Manufacturing26,200 USD
Warehouse OperativeFactory and Manufacturing30,300 USD
Warehouse WorkerFactory and Manufacturing28,900 USD
Warranty HandlerFactory and Manufacturing50,000 USD
WelderFactory and Manufacturing26,600 USD
Workshop ManagerFactory and Manufacturing100,700 USD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in United States, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

CityAverage Salary
Atlanta40,300 USD
Austin47,800 USD
Baltimore43,100 USD
Boston44,200 USD
Bristol34,450 USD
Chicago50,300 USD
Cincinnati36,900 USD
Cleveland39,800 USD
Dallas49,250 USD
Denver44,400 USD
Detroit44,050 USD
Honolulu36,400 USD
Houston49,650 USD
Indianapolis45,100 USD
Iowa City36,750 USD
Jacksonville47,100 USD
Kansas City40,500 USD
Kent35,850 USD
Las Vegas44,800 USD
Long Beach41,200 USD
Los Angeles52,750 USD
Memphis43,550 USD
Miami41,350 USD
Minneapolis39,850 USD
New Orleans39,600 USD
New York52,400 USD
Oakland40,850 USD
Oklahoma City45,800 USD
Orlando34,950 USD
Philadelphia51,100 USD
Phoenix51,150 USD
Sacramento42,350 USD
San Antonio52,600 USD
San Diego49,050 USD
San Francisco47,200 USD
San Jose49,550 USD
Seattle45,150 USD
Tampa38,500 USD
Vancouver36,200 USD
Washington D.C.45,950 USD

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in United States.

StateAverage Salary
Alabama45,050 USD
Alaska37,850 USD
Arizona45,900 USD
Arkansas41,150 USD
California49,950 USD
Colorado44,700 USD
Connecticut43,250 USD
Delaware40,700 USD
District of Columbia40,050 USD
Florida49,650 USD
Georgia48,750 USD
Hawaii40,750 USD
Idaho39,850 USD
Illinois48,400 USD
Indiana47,600 USD
Iowa42,250 USD
Kansas42,250 USD
Kentucky42,700 USD
Louisiana43,400 USD
Maine43,300 USD
Maryland44,950 USD
Massachusetts44,200 USD
Michigan45,950 USD
Minnesota45,950 USD
Mississippi43,000 USD
Missouri45,450 USD
Montana39,700 USD
Nebraska40,000 USD
Nevada41,450 USD
New Hampshire42,700 USD
New Jersey46,500 USD
New Mexico41,850 USD
New York48,850 USD
North Carolina46,350 USD
North Dakota39,000 USD
Ohio49,000 USD
Oklahoma43,200 USD
Oregon41,750 USD
Rhode Island39,800 USD
South Carolina45,200 USD
South Dakota39,800 USD
Tennessee45,300 USD
Texas48,700 USD
Utah43,500 USD
Vermont40,800 USD
Virginia48,600 USD
Washington45,650 USD
West Virginia39,600 USD
Wisconsin45,600 USD
Wyoming39,350 USD

Cite This Resource

Use the tool below to generate a reference for this page in common citation styles.

  • <a href="https://worldsalaries.com/average-production-operator-salary-in-pennsylvania/united-states/">Average Production Operator Salary in Pennsylvania, United States for 2026</a>

  • "Average Production Operator Salary in Pennsylvania, United States for 2026." World Salaries. Accessed January 1, 2026. https://worldsalaries.com/average-production-operator-salary-in-pennsylvania/united-states/.

  • "Average Production Operator Salary in Pennsylvania, United States for 2026." World Salaries, https://worldsalaries.com/average-production-operator-salary-in-pennsylvania/united-states/. Accessed 1 January, 2026.

  • Average Production Operator Salary in Pennsylvania, United States for 2026. World Salaries. Retrieved from https://worldsalaries.com/average-production-operator-salary-in-pennsylvania/united-states/.