What are the main factors that influence a Panel Operator's salary?

The primary factors are: 1) Experience Level, 2) Geographic Location, 3) Education/Skills, 4) Company Size & Industry

What industry pays the highest salary for Panel Operator?

The Pharmaceuticals industry offers the highest average compensation for Panel Operator roles, with salaries approximately 15% above the market median.

How does experience change A Panel Operator's salary?

A Panel Operator's salary grows with experience: an Instrument Technician I (1-3 years)earns $54,447, an Panel Operator (3-5 years)earns $60,515, an Instrument Technician III (5-7 years)earns $78,050,

What are the highest paying states for a Panel Operator?

Panel Operator salary varies significantly by state. The top 3 highest paying states for Panel Operator roles are District of Columbia $67,954, California $67,696, Massachusetts $66,794. These tech hubs typically pay 10-15% above the national average.

How much do different types of Panel Operator roles make?

Salaries for Panel Operator level roles vary by specialization: Panel Manager: $91,494; Panel Shop Manager: $78,683; Panel Builder: $71,415; Panel Wirer: $69,696; Panel Technician: $64,642.

How do different companies affect a Panel Operator's salary?

Company size, industry, and compensation structure create significant salary variations for Panel Operator roles. Large, established industry leaders like C R Bard Inc ($128,509) and Henry Schein Canada ($124,697) offer base salaries 35-40% above the national average. In contrast, smaller firms or startups may offer closer to $82,041.

Panel Operator Salary in the United States

How much does a Panel Operator make in the United States?

As of July 01, 2026, the average salary for a Panel Operator in the United States is $61,375 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $30.

However, a Panel Operator's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

Top Earners (90th percentile): $83,705
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $56,929 to $73,063
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $52,881

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Panel Operator Salaries by Percentile

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$73,063	$6,089	$1,405	$35
Average	$61,375	$5,115	$1,180	$30
25th Percentile	$56,929	$4,744	$1,095	$27

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Key Factors That Influence Panel Operator Salaries

A Panel Operator's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Do Panel 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 Panel Operators. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:

District of Columbia: $67,954.
California: $67,696.
Massachusetts: $66,794.

District of Columbia $67,954

California $67,696

Massachusetts $66,794

Washington $66,549

New Jersey $66,524

Alaska $66,438

Connecticut $65,591

New York $65,248

Hawaii $64,149

Rhode Island $63,633

Maryland $63,284

Minnesota $62,805

Colorado $62,621

Illinois $62,559

Oregon $62,326

Delaware $62,154

New Hampshire $62,046

Virginia $61,804

Pennsylvania $61,099

Nevada $60,743

North Dakota $60,626

Michigan $60,442

Wisconsin $60,374

Vermont $60,239

Texas $59,865

Maine $59,840

Arizona $59,804

Ohio $59,761

Georgia $59,196

Indiana $58,914

Wyoming $58,858

Utah $58,773

Iowa $58,736

Kansas $58,441

Louisiana $58,355

North Carolina $58,324

Missouri $58,312

Florida $58,073

Montana $57,944

Nebraska $57,821

Kentucky $57,754

South Carolina $57,508

Tennessee $57,355

Idaho $57,293

New Mexico $56,845

Oklahoma $56,747

Alabama $56,385

South Dakota $55,777

Arkansas $55,446

West Virginia $55,268

Mississippi $54,734

Top Paying Cities for Panel 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: $77,412
San Francisco: $76,564
Oakland: $74,951

San Jose, CA $77,412

San Francisco, CA $76,564

Oakland, CA $74,951

New York, NY $70,666

Paramus, NJ $69,807

Queens Village, NY $69,804

Passaic, NJ $69,746

Bergenfield, NJ $69,740

Stamford, CT $69,605

Huntington, NY $69,580

Newark, NJ $69,126

Bridgeport, CT $68,997

Vallejo, CA $68,875

New Brunswick, NJ $68,850

Petaluma, CA $68,813

Middlesex, NJ $68,697

Somerset, NJ $68,654

Santa Cruz, CA $68,574

Boston, MA $68,200

Monterey, CA $67,984

Seattle, WA $67,844

Santa Rosa, CA $67,831

Los Angeles, CA $67,813

Juneau, AK $67,653

Washington, DC $67,586

Orange, CA $67,367

Santa Ana, CA $67,205

Long Beach, CA $67,144

Anaheim, CA $67,132

Anchorage, AK $67,101

Santa Maria, CA $66,917

Everett, WA $66,905

Danbury, CT $66,689

Bremerton, WA $66,604

Tacoma, WA $66,383

New Suffolk, NY $66,382

Sacramento, CA $66,365

Santa Barbara, CA $66,297

Trenton, NJ $66,230

San Diego, CA $66,230

Brockton, MA $66,162

Fairbanks, AK $66,012

Lompoc, CA $65,855

Lowell, MA $65,805

Ventura, CA $65,794

Nashua, NH $65,782

Stockton, CA $65,775

Modesto, CA $65,327

Poughkeepsie, NY $65,192

Olympia, WA $65,076

Kennewick, WA $65,076

New Haven, CT $65,051

Lawrence, MA $64,830

Hartford, CT $64,769

Riverside, CA $64,757

New Bedford, MA $64,695

Richland, WA $64,695

Bakersfield, CA $64,609

San Bernardino, CA $64,585

New Britain, CT $64,579

Atlantic City, NJ $64,579

New London, CT $64,554

Norwich, CT $64,536

Portsmouth, NH $64,523

Boulder, CO $64,393

Portland, OR $64,309

Worcester, MA $64,302

Minneapolis, MN $64,112

Philadelphia, PA $64,026

Honolulu, HI $63,824

Saint Paul, MN $63,794

Vineland, NJ $63,781

Providence, RI $63,603

Chicago, IL $63,425

Bellingham, WA $63,351

Springfield, MA $63,302

Baltimore, MD $63,284

Chico, CA $63,130

Pittsfield, MA $62,964

Manchester, NH $62,848

Spokane, WA $62,578

Denver, CO $62,572

Albany, NY $62,283

Troy, NY $62,259

Nassau, NY $62,193

Schenectady, NY $62,130

Wilmington, DE $62,081

Burlington, VT $61,995

Salem, OR $61,970

Portland, ME $61,780

Yakima, WA $61,718

Rochester, MN $61,528

Reno, NV $61,498

Fresno, CA $61,498

Milwaukee, WI $61,442

Detroit, MI $61,381

Ann Arbor, MI $61,371

Allentown, PA $61,363

Colorado Springs, CO $61,258

Syracuse, NY $61,228

Carson City, NV $61,228

Houston, TX $61,142

Eugene, OR $61,111

Gary, IN $61,037

Springfield, OR $60,988

Bismarck, ND $60,976

Galveston, TX $60,933

Medford, OR $60,841

Fort Collins, CO $60,816

Concord, NH $60,786

Austin, TX $60,767

Mesa, AZ $60,638

Reading, PA $60,632

Phoenix, AZ $60,626

Dallas, TX $60,608

Saint Cloud, MN $60,549

Madison, WI $60,466

Utica, NY $60,301

Rochester, NY $60,203

Des Moines, IA $60,196

Raleigh, NC $60,190

Atlanta, GA $60,098

Battle Creek, MI $60,080

Salt Lake City, UT $60,061

Lancaster, PA $59,969

Harrisburg, PA $59,883

Kansas City, MO $59,822

Champaign, IL $59,810

Kansas City, KS $59,810

Fort Worth, TX $59,804

Columbus, OH $59,793

Boca Raton, FL $59,779

Pittsburgh, PA $59,755

Richmond, VA $59,730

Indianapolis, IN $59,718

Cleveland, OH $59,712

Las Vegas, NV $59,638

Cincinnati, OH $59,638

Petersburg, VA $59,546

Huntsville, AL $59,454

Lansing, MI $59,413

Lebanon, PA $59,405

Pueblo, CO $59,399

Appleton, WI $59,380

Buffalo, NY $59,356

Dayton, OH $59,337

Racine, WI $59,325

Charlotte, NC $59,319

Saint Louis, MO $59,300

York, PA $59,264

Elkhart, IN $59,264

Gastonia, NC $59,252

Billings, MT $59,237

Beaumont, TX $59,221

Lorain, OH $59,208

Benton Harbor, MI $59,196

Toledo, OH $59,184

Binghamton, NY $59,153

Rock Hill, SC $59,147

Rockford, IL $59,116

Springfield, IL $59,092

Elyria, OH $59,086

Fargo, ND $59,086

Flagstaff, AZ $59,043

Fort Lauderdale, FL $59,006

Duluth, MN $58,969

Miami, FL $58,969

Cheyenne, WY $58,926

Grand Forks, ND $58,926

Bangor, ME $58,791

Cedar Rapids, IA $58,723

Durham, NC $58,698

Louisville, KY $58,693

Grand Rapids, MI $58,680

Hialeah, FL $58,674

Casper, WY $58,588

Scranton, PA $58,515

New Orleans, LA $58,496

Virginia Beach, VA $58,490

Akron, OH $58,459

Peoria, IL $58,380

Sarasota, FL $58,367

Nashville, TN $58,324

Omaha, NE $58,324

Green Bay, WI $58,324

Baton Rouge, LA $58,294

Charleston, SC $58,282

Jamestown, NY $58,251

Davenport, IA $58,251

Tucson, AZ $58,220

Saint Petersburg, FL $58,183

Tampa, FL $58,171

Evansville, IN $58,134

Port Arthur, TX $58,134

Bradenton, FL $58,110

Santa Fe, NM $57,999

Orlando, FL $57,889

Clearwater, FL $57,870

Canton, OH $57,741

La Crosse, WI $57,741

Albuquerque, NM $57,705

Newport News, VA $57,698

High Point, NC $57,680

Ogden, UT $57,655

Corpus Christi, TX $57,606

Norfolk, VA $57,570

Laramie, WY $57,570

Rock Island, IL $57,533

Saginaw, MI $57,520

Jacksonville, FL $57,514

Salisbury, NC $57,502

Boise, ID $57,490

Moline, IL $57,459

Fort Myers, FL $57,441

Memphis, TN $57,428

Tulsa, OK $57,398

Waterloo, IA $57,361

Spartanburg, SC $57,300

Lincoln, NE $57,269

Fort Wayne, IN $57,257

Provo, UT $57,250

Cedar Falls, IA $57,177

San Antonio, TX $57,152

Greensboro, NC $57,128

South Bend, IN $57,122

Savannah, GA $57,054

Muskegon, MI $57,029

Birmingham, AL $57,023

Winston Salem, NC $56,993

Lake Charles, LA $56,845

Anderson, IN $56,833

Lexington, KY $56,815

Augusta, GA $56,796

Greenville, SC $56,796

Lima, OH $56,747

Wichita, KS $56,741

Tuscaloosa, AL $56,741

Columbia, SC $56,686

Springfield, OH $56,673

Asheville, NC $56,575

Bloomington, IN $56,532

Knoxville, TN $56,311

Shreveport, LA $56,305

Wilmington, NC $56,225

Roanoke, VA $56,225

Topeka, KS $56,115

Frankfort, KY $56,108

Oklahoma City, OK $56,066

Chillicothe, OH $56,041

Longview, TX $56,035

Melbourne, FL $56,029

Sioux Falls, SD $55,931

Mobile, AL $55,925

Terre Haute, IN $55,900

Altoona, PA $55,863

Amarillo, TX $55,820

Killeen, TX $55,802

Fayetteville, AR $55,753

Chattanooga, TN $55,734

Sioux City, IA $55,679

Idaho Falls, ID $55,667

Lynchburg, VA $55,618

Gainesville, FL $55,538

Portsmouth, OH $55,507

Little Rock, AR $55,495

Lafayette, LA $55,471

Youngstown, OH $55,471

Daytona Beach, FL $55,434

Clarksville, TN $55,428

Pensacola, FL $55,421

Temple, TX $55,417

Hopkinsville, KY $55,237

Erie, PA $55,225

Florence, SC $55,200

Charleston, WV $55,102

Great Falls, MT $55,072

Macon, GA $54,986

Tallahassee, FL $54,980

Fayetteville, NC $54,967

Waco, TX $54,955

Helena, MT $54,912

Pine Bluff, AR $54,889

Vincennes, IN $54,814

Lubbock, TX $54,789

Alamogordo, NM $54,752

Twin Falls, ID $54,697

Rapid City, SD $54,679

Jackson, MS $54,568

Huntington, WV $54,564

Greenville, MS $54,562

Parkersburg, WV $54,500

Montgomery, AL $54,489

Wichita Falls, TX $54,427

Springfield, MO $54,427

Biloxi, MS $54,396

Monroe, LA $54,335

Johnstown, PA $54,292

Sumter, SC $54,268

Columbus, GA $54,261

Pascagoula, MS $54,145

Abilene, TX $54,145

Kingsport, TN $53,985

Albany, GA $53,985

Gulfport, MS $53,967

Alexandria, LA $53,764

Fort Smith, AR $53,611

El Paso, TX $53,445

Las Cruces, NM $53,169

Harlingen, TX $53,013

Pocatello, ID $53,003

Florence, AL $52,923

Brownsville, TX $52,911

Mcallen, TX $52,782

Dothan, AL $52,696

Columbus, MS $52,332

Altus, OK $52,046

Lawton, OK $51,929

Pierre, SD $51,708

What Skills Can Increase a Panel Operator's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

Troubleshooting (Mentioned in 10.62% 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 2.97% Job Postings): Developing and implementing maintenance strategies to increase equipment life expectancy and avoid unplanned downtime.
Data Acquisition (Mentioned in 1.72% Job Postings): Data acquisition is the process of sampling signals that measure real-world physical conditions and converting the resulting samples into digital numeric values that can be manipulated by a computer.

See More Skills

Skills	Demand Percentage
Troubleshooting	10.62%
Preventative Maintenance	2.97%
Data Acquisition	1.72%

What skills can make your compensation higher?

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 Panel Operator's salary.

Customer Focus: Can increase your salary by up to 6%.
Coordination: Can increase your salary by up to 5%.
Commitment: Can increase your salary by up to 4%.

Skill	Salary	Salary % Increase
Customer Focus	$65,057	6%
Coordination	$64,444	5%
Commitment	$63,830	4%
Initiative	$63,830	4%
Repairing	$63,216	3%
HVAC	$63,216	3%

Get Latest Data

Panel Operator Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Panel Operator roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 30% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Pharmaceuticals and Aerospace & Defense sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 15% above the average. In contrast, Panel Operator positions in Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit or Transportation typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Panel Operator as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for a Panel Operator

Industry Sector	Average Annual Salary	Average Hourly Rate	Pay vs.Avg
Pharmaceuticals	$70,581	$34.0	15%
Aerospace & Defense	$68,740	$33.0	12%
Energy & Utilities	$68,126	$33.0	11%
Insurance	$67,512	$32.0	10%
Biotechnology	$66,285	$32.0	8%

How Education impacts a Panel Operator's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Panel Operators enter the field with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate 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 Panel Operator with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate is between $63,236 and $70,271).

Panel Operator Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Panel Operator

No Diploma 50.0%

High School 50.0%

Associates 40.0%

Bachelors 10.0%

Masters 0.0%

Doctorate 0.0%

view as table

Degree Level	% of user with this level of education
No Diploma	50.0%
High School	50.0%
Associates	40.0%
Bachelors	10.0%
Masters	0.0%
Doctorate	0.0%

view as graph

Panel Operator Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Panel 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.

Last Updated on July 01, 2026

$56,929

Average $61,375/year

$73,063

$4,744

Average $5,115/month

$6,089

$1,095

Average $1,180/week

$1,405

$27

Average $30/hour

$35

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$73,063	$6,089	$1,405	$35
Average	$61,375	$5,115	$1,180	$30
25th Percentile	$56,929	$4,744	$1,095	$27

Salaries of jobs related to Panel Operator

Salary Trends for Panel Operator

Salaries for a Panel Operator can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $53,077 in 2023 to around $52,656 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Panel Operator salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Panel Operator Over Time

2022

$???

2023

$53,077

2024

$53,237

2025

$52,656

2026

$???

2027

$???

Year	Average Annual Salary
2022	View More
2023	$53,077
2024	$53,237
2025	$52,656
2026	View More
2027	View More

Most common benefits for Panel Operator

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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.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

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