How much does a Cnc Plasma Operator make in the United States?
As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Cnc Plasma Operator in the United States is $60,764 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $29.
However, a Cnc Plasma Operator's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:
Top Earners (90th percentile): $73,377
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $54,528 to $67,366
Key Factors That Influence Cnc Plasma Operator Salaries
A Cnc Plasma Operator's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors.
Below, we'll explore how geographic location, education
and company size
can directly affect your earning potential.
How Do Cnc Plasma Operator Salaries Vary from State to State?
Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Cnc Plasma Operators. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
District of Columbia: $67,278.
California: $67,023.
Massachusetts: $66,130.
District of Columbia$67,278
California$67,023
Massachusetts$66,130
Washington$65,887
New Jersey$65,862
Alaska$65,777
Connecticut$64,939
New York$64,598
Hawaii$63,511
Rhode Island$63,000
Maryland$62,654
Minnesota$62,180
Colorado$61,998
Illinois$61,937
Oregon$61,706
Delaware$61,536
New Hampshire$61,429
Virginia$61,189
Pennsylvania$60,491
Nevada$60,138
North Dakota$60,023
Michigan$59,840
Wisconsin$59,774
Vermont$59,640
Texas$59,269
Maine$59,245
Arizona$59,209
Ohio$59,166
Georgia$58,607
Indiana$58,327
Wyoming$58,273
Utah$58,188
Iowa$58,151
Kansas$57,860
Louisiana$57,775
North Carolina$57,744
Missouri$57,732
Florida$57,495
Montana$57,367
Nebraska$57,246
Kentucky$57,179
South Carolina$56,936
Tennessee$56,784
Idaho$56,723
New Mexico$56,280
Oklahoma$56,182
Alabama$55,824
South Dakota$55,222
Arkansas$54,894
West Virginia$54,718
Mississippi$54,189
Top Paying Cities for Cnc Plasma Operators
Salaries can also vary between different cities.
Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay.
Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:
San Jose: $76,642
San Francisco: $75,803
Oakland: $74,205
San Jose, CA$76,642
San Francisco, CA$75,803
Oakland, CA$74,205
New York, NY$69,963
Paramus, NJ$69,112
Queens Village, NY$69,109
Passaic, NJ$69,052
Bergenfield, NJ$69,046
Stamford, CT$68,913
Huntington, NY$68,888
Newark, NJ$68,439
Bridgeport, CT$68,310
Vallejo, CA$68,189
New Brunswick, NJ$68,165
Petaluma, CA$68,129
Middlesex, NJ$68,013
Somerset, NJ$67,971
Santa Cruz, CA$67,892
Boston, MA$67,521
Monterey, CA$67,308
Seattle, WA$67,169
Santa Rosa, CA$67,156
Los Angeles, CA$67,138
Juneau, AK$66,980
Washington, DC$66,913
Orange, CA$66,697
Santa Ana, CA$66,537
Long Beach, CA$66,476
Anaheim, CA$66,464
Anchorage, AK$66,433
Santa Maria, CA$66,251
Everett, WA$66,239
Danbury, CT$66,025
Bremerton, WA$65,941
Tacoma, WA$65,722
New Suffolk, NY$65,721
Sacramento, CA$65,704
Santa Barbara, CA$65,637
Trenton, NJ$65,571
San Diego, CA$65,571
Brockton, MA$65,504
Fairbanks, AK$65,355
Lompoc, CA$65,200
Lowell, MA$65,151
Ventura, CA$65,139
Nashua, NH$65,127
Stockton, CA$65,121
Modesto, CA$64,677
Poughkeepsie, NY$64,544
Olympia, WA$64,428
Kennewick, WA$64,428
New Haven, CT$64,404
Lawrence, MA$64,185
Hartford, CT$64,124
Riverside, CA$64,112
New Bedford, MA$64,051
Richland, WA$64,051
Bakersfield, CA$63,966
San Bernardino, CA$63,942
New Britain, CT$63,936
Atlantic City, NJ$63,936
New London, CT$63,912
Norwich, CT$63,893
Portsmouth, NH$63,881
Boulder, CO$63,752
Portland, OR$63,669
Worcester, MA$63,663
Minneapolis, MN$63,474
Philadelphia, PA$63,389
Honolulu, HI$63,189
Saint Paul, MN$63,159
Vineland, NJ$63,146
Providence, RI$62,970
Chicago, IL$62,794
Bellingham, WA$62,721
Springfield, MA$62,672
Baltimore, MD$62,654
Chico, CA$62,502
Pittsfield, MA$62,338
Manchester, NH$62,222
Spokane, WA$61,955
Denver, CO$61,949
Albany, NY$61,663
Troy, NY$61,639
Nassau, NY$61,574
Schenectady, NY$61,511
Wilmington, DE$61,463
Burlington, VT$61,378
Salem, OR$61,354
Portland, ME$61,165
Yakima, WA$61,104
Rochester, MN$60,916
Reno, NV$60,886
Fresno, CA$60,886
Milwaukee, WI$60,831
Detroit, MI$60,770
Ann Arbor, MI$60,760
Allentown, PA$60,752
Colorado Springs, CO$60,649
Syracuse, NY$60,618
Carson City, NV$60,618
Houston, TX$60,533
Eugene, OR$60,503
Gary, IN$60,430
Springfield, OR$60,381
Bismarck, ND$60,369
Galveston, TX$60,327
Medford, OR$60,235
Fort Collins, CO$60,211
Concord, NH$60,181
Austin, TX$60,163
Mesa, AZ$60,035
Reading, PA$60,029
Phoenix, AZ$60,023
Dallas, TX$60,005
Saint Cloud, MN$59,946
Madison, WI$59,865
Utica, NY$59,701
Rochester, NY$59,604
Des Moines, IA$59,597
Raleigh, NC$59,591
Atlanta, GA$59,500
Battle Creek, MI$59,482
Salt Lake City, UT$59,464
Lancaster, PA$59,373
Harrisburg, PA$59,288
Kansas City, MO$59,227
Champaign, IL$59,215
Kansas City, KS$59,215
Fort Worth, TX$59,209
Columbus, OH$59,198
Boca Raton, FL$59,184
Pittsburgh, PA$59,160
Richmond, VA$59,136
Indianapolis, IN$59,123
Cleveland, OH$59,117
Las Vegas, NV$59,044
Cincinnati, OH$59,044
Petersburg, VA$58,953
Huntsville, AL$58,862
Lansing, MI$58,821
Lebanon, PA$58,814
Pueblo, CO$58,807
Appleton, WI$58,789
Buffalo, NY$58,765
Dayton, OH$58,747
Racine, WI$58,735
Charlotte, NC$58,729
Saint Louis, MO$58,710
York, PA$58,674
Elkhart, IN$58,674
Gastonia, NC$58,662
Billings, MT$58,648
Beaumont, TX$58,631
Lorain, OH$58,619
Benton Harbor, MI$58,607
Toledo, OH$58,595
Binghamton, NY$58,564
Rock Hill, SC$58,558
Rockford, IL$58,528
Springfield, IL$58,504
Elyria, OH$58,498
Fargo, ND$58,498
Flagstaff, AZ$58,455
Fort Lauderdale, FL$58,419
Duluth, MN$58,382
Miami, FL$58,382
Cheyenne, WY$58,340
Grand Forks, ND$58,340
Bangor, ME$58,206
Cedar Rapids, IA$58,139
Durham, NC$58,114
Louisville, KY$58,109
Grand Rapids, MI$58,097
Hialeah, FL$58,090
Casper, WY$58,005
Scranton, PA$57,932
New Orleans, LA$57,914
Virginia Beach, VA$57,908
Akron, OH$57,878
Peoria, IL$57,799
Sarasota, FL$57,787
Nashville, TN$57,744
Omaha, NE$57,744
Green Bay, WI$57,744
Baton Rouge, LA$57,714
Charleston, SC$57,702
Jamestown, NY$57,671
Davenport, IA$57,671
Tucson, AZ$57,641
Saint Petersburg, FL$57,604
Tampa, FL$57,592
Evansville, IN$57,556
Port Arthur, TX$57,556
Bradenton, FL$57,531
Santa Fe, NM$57,422
Orlando, FL$57,313
Clearwater, FL$57,294
Canton, OH$57,167
La Crosse, WI$57,167
Albuquerque, NM$57,130
Newport News, VA$57,124
High Point, NC$57,106
Ogden, UT$57,082
Corpus Christi, TX$57,033
Norfolk, VA$56,997
Laramie, WY$56,997
Rock Island, IL$56,960
Saginaw, MI$56,948
Jacksonville, FL$56,942
Salisbury, NC$56,930
Boise, ID$56,918
Moline, IL$56,887
Fort Myers, FL$56,869
Memphis, TN$56,857
Tulsa, OK$56,827
Waterloo, IA$56,790
Spartanburg, SC$56,729
Lincoln, NE$56,699
Fort Wayne, IN$56,687
Provo, UT$56,681
Cedar Falls, IA$56,608
San Antonio, TX$56,584
Greensboro, NC$56,559
South Bend, IN$56,553
Savannah, GA$56,486
Muskegon, MI$56,462
Birmingham, AL$56,456
Winston Salem, NC$56,426
Lake Charles, LA$56,280
Anderson, IN$56,268
Lexington, KY$56,249
Augusta, GA$56,231
Greenville, SC$56,231
Lima, OH$56,182
Wichita, KS$56,176
Tuscaloosa, AL$56,176
Columbia, SC$56,122
Springfield, OH$56,110
Asheville, NC$56,012
Bloomington, IN$55,970
Knoxville, TN$55,751
Shreveport, LA$55,745
Wilmington, NC$55,666
Roanoke, VA$55,666
Topeka, KS$55,557
Frankfort, KY$55,550
Oklahoma City, OK$55,508
Chillicothe, OH$55,484
Longview, TX$55,478
Melbourne, FL$55,472
Sioux Falls, SD$55,374
Mobile, AL$55,368
Terre Haute, IN$55,344
Altoona, PA$55,307
Amarillo, TX$55,265
Killeen, TX$55,247
Fayetteville, AR$55,198
Chattanooga, TN$55,180
Sioux City, IA$55,125
Idaho Falls, ID$55,113
Lynchburg, VA$55,064
Gainesville, FL$54,985
Portsmouth, OH$54,955
Little Rock, AR$54,943
Lafayette, LA$54,919
Youngstown, OH$54,919
Daytona Beach, FL$54,882
Clarksville, TN$54,876
Pensacola, FL$54,870
Temple, TX$54,866
Hopkinsville, KY$54,688
Erie, PA$54,676
Florence, SC$54,651
Charleston, WV$54,554
Great Falls, MT$54,524
Macon, GA$54,439
Tallahassee, FL$54,432
Fayetteville, NC$54,420
Waco, TX$54,408
Helena, MT$54,366
Pine Bluff, AR$54,343
Vincennes, IN$54,268
Lubbock, TX$54,244
Alamogordo, NM$54,208
Twin Falls, ID$54,153
Rapid City, SD$54,135
Jackson, MS$54,025
Huntington, WV$54,021
Greenville, MS$54,019
Parkersburg, WV$53,957
Montgomery, AL$53,946
Wichita Falls, TX$53,886
Springfield, MO$53,886
Biloxi, MS$53,855
Monroe, LA$53,794
Johnstown, PA$53,752
Sumter, SC$53,728
Columbus, GA$53,722
Pascagoula, MS$53,606
Abilene, TX$53,606
Kingsport, TN$53,448
Albany, GA$53,448
Gulfport, MS$53,430
Alexandria, LA$53,229
Fort Smith, AR$53,077
El Paso, TX$52,913
Las Cruces, NM$52,640
Harlingen, TX$52,486
Pocatello, ID$52,476
Florence, AL$52,397
Brownsville, TX$52,385
Mcallen, TX$52,257
Dothan, AL$52,172
Columbus, MS$51,811
Altus, OK$51,528
Lawton, OK$51,413
Pierre, SD$51,194
What Skills Can Increase a Cnc Plasma Operator's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Troubleshooting (Mentioned in 1.78% Job Postings): Troubleshooting is a form of problem solving, often applied to repair failed products or processes on a machine or a system. It is a logical, systematic search for the source of a problem in order to solve it, and make the product or process operational again. Troubleshooting is needed to identify the symptoms. Determining the most likely cause is a process of elimination—eliminating potential causes of a problem. Finally, troubleshooting requires confirmation that the solution restores the product or process to its working state. In general, troubleshooting is the identification or diagnosis of "trouble" in the management flow of a system caused by a failure of some kind. The problem is initially described as symptoms of malfunction, and troubleshooting is the process of determining and remedying the causes of these symptoms. A system can be described in terms of its expected, desired or intended behavior (usually, for artificial systems, its purpose). Events or inputs to the system are expected to generate specific results or outputs. (For example, selecting the "print" option from various computer applications is intended to result in a hardcopy emerging from some specific device). Any unexpected or undesirable behavior is a symptom. Troubleshooting is the process of isolating the specific cause or causes of the symptom. Frequently the symptom is a failure of the product or process to produce any results. (Nothing was printed, for example). Corrective action can then be taken to prevent further failures of a similar kind.
Preventative Maintenance (Mentioned in 1.3% Job Postings): Developing and implementing maintenance strategies to increase equipment life expectancy and avoid unplanned downtime.
Preventive Maintenance (Mentioned in 0.98% Job Postings): Preventive maintenance is the act of performing regularly scheduled maintenance activities to help prevent unexpected failures in the future. Put simply, it's about fixing things before they break.
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay.
Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Cnc Plasma Operator's salary.
Initiative: Can increase your salary by up to 4%.
Written Communication: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.
Cnc Plasma Operator Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Cnc Plasma Operator roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential
by as much as 80% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the Biotechnology and Aerospace & Defense
sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 40% above the average.
In contrast, Cnc Plasma Operator positions in Retail & Wholesale or Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit typically offer lower base pay,
as these industries often view Cnc Plasma Operator as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industries for a Cnc Plasma Operator
Industry Sector
Average Annual Salary
Average Hourly Rate
Pay vs.Avg
Biotechnology
$85,070
$41.0
40%
Aerospace & Defense
$78,993
$38.0
30%
Energy & Utilities
$69,879
$34.0
15%
How Education impacts a Cnc Plasma Operator's Salary?
Your level of education can impact your salary potential.
While many Cnc Plasma Operators enter the field with a Associate's Degree degree,
higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.
According to our 100% employer-reported salary data,
the median salary for a Cnc Plasma Operator with a Associate's Degree is between
$59,874
and $64,349).
Understanding how a Cnc Plasma Operator's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting.
Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role.
Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.
Hourly
Monthly
Weekly
Yearly
Table View
Last Updated on September 01, 2026
$54,528
Average$60,764/year
$67,366
$4,544
Average$5,064/month
$5,614
$1,049
Average$1,169/week
$1,296
$26
Average$29/hour
$32
Annual Salary
Monthly Pay
Weekly Pay
Hourly Wage
75th Percentile
$67,366
$5,614
$1,296
$32
Average
$60,764
$5,064
$1,169
$29
25th Percentile
$54,528
$4,544
$1,049
$26
Salaries of Jobs related to Cnc Plasma Operator
Cnc Machine Operator$64,054
CNC Mill Operator$63,748
CNC Lathe Operator$61,792
CNC Operator$58,854
Metal CNC Operator$45,810
Plasma Table Operator$44,992
Plasma Operator$44,299
Plasma Cutter Operator$43,200
Machinist - CNC Operator$40,820
Cnc Laser Operator$40,144
Plasma Machine Operator$36,493
Salary Trends for Cnc Plasma Operator
Salaries for a Cnc Plasma Operator can change over time,
reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy.
The median salary decreased from $46,318 in 2023
to around $45,877 in 2025,
reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy.
For a detailed analysis of Cnc Plasma Operator salary trends,
.
Average Annual Salary of Cnc Plasma Operator Over Time
$???
$46,318
$46,185
$45,877
$???
$???
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
Year
Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023
$46,318
2024
$46,185
2025
$45,877
2026
View More
2027
View More
Most common benefits for Cnc Plasma Operator
Social Security
401 (k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
Common company salaries for Cnc Plasma Operator
Here are companies hiring for Cnc Plasma Operator and their salaries, click below for more details.
C$128,509/per year
C R Bard IncBiotechnologythe United States
H$124,697/per year
Henry Schein CanadaBiotechnologythe United States
N$123,899/per year
Nordex IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$120,416/per year
Nipro CorpBiotechnologythe United States
E$115,870/per year
EnovisBiotechnologythe United States
A$114,553/per year
Advanced Research Projects Agency - EnergyBiotechnologythe United States
M$112,110/per year
MiniMed IncBiotechnologythe United States
L$111,500/per year
Labcorp Drug DevelopmentBiotechnologythe United States
L$110,229/per year
Life Technologies CorpBiotechnologythe United States
Z$106,224/per year
Zimmer BiometBiotechnologythe United States
P$103,077/per year
Promontory TherapeuticsBiotechnologythe United States
S$102,181/per year
Steris PLCBiotechnologythe United States
G$97,274/per year
Gavin Conferences Pty LtdBiotechnologythe United States
E$94,764/per year
Endeavor BioMedicinesBiotechnologythe United States
R$94,402/per year
Replay Holdings LLCBiotechnologythe United States
P$94,235/per year
Pleno IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$93,666/per year
Simulaids IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$88,880/per year
NOIRLab/CASBiotechnologythe United States
O$86,468/per year
Onward TechnologyBiotechnologythe United States
L$84,895/per year
LED Medical Diagnostics IncBiotechnologythe United States
E$84,682/per year
Eyeco LtdBiotechnologythe United States
P$84,523/per year
PaerosolBiotechnologythe United States
I$83,525/per year
IONIQ Sciences IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$82,815/per year
Stateside PPEBiotechnologythe United States
D$82,041/per year
Digi BioBiotechnologythe United States
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FAQ about Cnc Plasma Operator
1. What industry pays the highest salary for Cnc Plasma Operator?
The Biotechnology industry offers the highest average compensation for Cnc Plasma Operator roles,
with salaries approximately 40% above the market median.
Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?
Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.
