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Job outlook for owner/operators in the United States
Owner/operator job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected owner/operator job growth rate is 4% from 2018-2028.
About 90,900 new jobs for owner/operators are projected over the next decade.
Owner/operator salaries have increased 14% for owner/operators in the last 5 years.
There are over 716,704 owner/operators currently employed in the United States.
There are 119,599 active owner/operator job openings in the US.
The average owner/operator salary is $167,288.
Are owner/operator jobs in demand?
Owner/Operator job and salary trends over time
Owner/Operator jobs over time
Owner/Operator job growth rate over time
Year  | # Of Jobs | % Of Population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 716,704 | 0.21% |
| 2020 | 659,686 | 0.20% |
| 2019 | 679,127 | 0.20% |
| 2018 | 655,758 | 0.20% |
| 2017 | 642,190 | 0.19% |
Average owner/operator salary over time
Owner/Operator salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $167,288 | $80.43 | +4.1% |
| 2024 | $160,650 | $77.24 | +3.6% |
| 2023 | $155,042 | $74.54 | +2.8% |
| 2022 | $150,783 | $72.49 | +2.8% |
| 2021 | $146,736 | $70.55 | +2.7% |
Owner/Operator jobs by state
Most common states for owner/operators
| Rank | State | Population | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 4,036 | 222% |
| 2 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 1,643 | 218% |
| 3 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 1,642 | 189% |
| 4 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 5,405 | 186% |
| 5 | Arkansas | 3,004,279 | 4,168 | 139% |
| 6 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 2,583 | 135% |
| 7 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 7,930 | 130% |
| 8 | Oklahoma | 3,930,864 | 5,103 | 130% |
| 9 | Kentucky | 4,454,189 | 5,665 | 127% |
| 10 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 10,323 | 122% |
| 11 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 3,726 | 118% |
| 12 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 12,069 | 116% |
| 13 | Mississippi | 2,984,100 | 3,390 | 114% |
| 14 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 5,499 | 113% |
| 15 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 13,751 | 107% |
| 16 | Delaware | 961,939 | 971 | 101% |
| 17 | Ohio | 11,658,609 | 11,375 | 98% |
| 18 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 5,383 | 96% |
| 19 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 1,998 | 96% |
| 20 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 2,883 | 93% |
Most common cities for owner/operators
| Rank | City | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gary | 21 | 27% | $164,833 |
| 2 | Carmel | 18 | 20% | $164,363 |
| 3 | Naperville | 18 | 12% | $178,769 |
| 4 | Cleveland | 28 | 7% | $162,947 |
| 5 | Cincinnati | 21 | 7% | $162,772 |
| 6 | Pittsburgh | 19 | 6% | $172,671 |
| 7 | Toledo | 18 | 6% | $163,186 |
| 8 | Atlanta | 24 | 5% | $161,125 |
| 9 | Detroit | 26 | 4% | $161,513 |
| 10 | Columbus | 27 | 3% | $162,708 |
| 11 | Indianapolis | 27 | 3% | $164,367 |
| 12 | Memphis | 22 | 3% | $160,566 |
| 13 | Baltimore | 17 | 3% | $163,015 |
| 14 | Dallas | 25 | 2% | $158,658 |
| 15 | Chicago | 36 | 1% | $178,686 |
| 16 | Houston | 28 | 1% | $155,004 |
| 17 | Philadelphia | 20 | 1% | $173,117 |
Owner/Operator job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of owner/operator experts
Georgia State University
Culver-Stockton College
The American College of Financial Services
Nicholls State University
Cabrini University
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Ohio Christian University
North Carolina State University
University of North Carolina
What will help Owner/Operators increase their earning potential?
Mark Zweig: They like the freedom to come and go. They also hate the fact they can never fully disconnect. Another negative is they tend to get very little positive feedback from their people or the media. Happy customer feedback can be reinforcing, however.
Jason Aldrich
Assistant Dean, Strategic Partnerships and Career AdvancementGeorgia State University
J. Mack Robinson College of Business
What Owner/Operator skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Jason Aldrich: JA – Research indicates the majority of employers are seeking evidence of a candidate’s ability to think critically, solve problems and to work in a team, with the key word being “evidence”. In addition, more than half of employers evaluate resumes and cover letters for excellent written communication skills. Looking out over the next 3-5 years, students should be focused on developing the NACE career readiness competencies that employers deem most important for college students to develop including: communication, critical thinking, and teamwork.
What will help Owner/Operators increase their earning potential?
Jason Aldrich: JA – The key to maximizing your salary potential is to make the most of your college experience by earning outstanding grades, building the communication and teamwork skills necessary to solve complex problems, and engaging in experiential learning, co-curricular activities, and internships. This approach will help you demonstrate to potential employers that you have the skills and are ready to hit the ground running to address the challenges they face. In addition, it’s important to also assess each market sector you are considering in terms of compensation standards, opportunities for growth, and most highly prioritized skills. For example, your research might reveal that you have everything a potential employer would be willing to pay a highly competitive salary for except experience in financial modeling or programming in Python. If this is the case, you can quickly take a course or enroll in a BootCamp to learn a particular skill. This approach also sets you up for success after you start working. For example, today’s hot topic is how firms can apply generative AI to their business model for better outcomes. Becoming knowledgeable in the concepts of generative AI and contributing to the conversation will set you apart from your colleagues. As a general rule, you should continuously seek new opportunities to learn and upskill while you’re employed.
Robin Jarvis
Director of Career and Internship ServicesCulver-Stockton College
Business Department
What Owner/Operator skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Robin Jarvis: Certain soft skills always are in demand from employers. Creativity in problem-solving is frequently at the top of the list. Collaboration and effectiveness in a team setting, also are important to the business. Along with this goes communication. Employers seek applicants who have emotional intelligence with the ability to manage and express their emotions. Adaptability is high on the list, and we all learned a great deal about adaptability this year. I've received a lot of feedback from employers looking for technical skills, Excel in particular. Students seeking to improve in any of these areas should actively engage in the learning opportunities offered in their classroom environments. LinkedIn offers certificate classes in many of these subjects. And, as with any skill, one has to practice, practice, practice to gain and maintain proficiency.
What general advice would you give to an Owner/Operator?
Robin Jarvis: Be flexible. Employment trends were shifting and changing, before the pandemic hit, and we can expect more change in the days ahead. Opportunities are still out there, and we will recover from these challenges. I anticipate growth after stabilization and the creation of jobs that don't exist today. Be willing to take the skills you learned in college and apply them to a wide array of opportunities. Explore careers outside your area of study, and never stop learning. Most important - network, network, network!
Mark J. McLennon
Assistant Professor of Business PlanningThe American College of Financial Services
What type of skills will young Owner/Operators need?
Mark J. McLennon: As with any career, I think new graduates need to be flexible and have a real desire to continue to learn. Underwriting, in particular, is something where a lot of the knowledge and wisdom comes from hands-on experience. Graduates need to be open to that. Of course, being comfortable with technology and being a good communicator are traits needed to survive and thrive in any position these days, and this would be no exception. The technology side is necessary to come to the right conclusion, and the communication side is needed to maintain good relationships (with advisors) when that underwriting conclusion is not what was desired or expected. With advances in technology (big data, gene mapping, etc.), many may say that the "medical" side of underwriting may be less dependent on the skills of the underwriter; whether that is true or not, there are other aspects to making proper underwriting decisions beyond that.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Owner/Operators to find work opportunities?
Mark J. McLennon: Of course, there are regional "hotbeds" for financial services business in general and life insurance, in particular. I have seen information indicating that New York, California, and Illinois have a number of underwriting opportunities and should continue to have those in the future. However, other areas of both the Midwest (Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Iowa) and the Northeast (New Jersey, Hartford, etc.) have pretty significant insurance footprints. Of course, people can virtually work anywhere, and underwriting is no exception. It has always been primarily a centralized function within insurance companies with national distribution forces, so proximity to the advisor or client -- and home office management -- does not seem to be as necessary as it has been historically.
Laura Lott Valenti
Assistant Professor of Marketing John C. Daigle Endowed ProfessorNicholls State University
Department of Management and Marketing
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Owner/Operators in the next 3-5 years?
Laura Lott Valenti: I foresee technology that enhances communication and training as a central focus in the next 3-5 years. With the move to so many people and organizations being online, enhanced communications and training online are needed to maintain efficiency while also advancing technology in these areas.
How would you rate the starting salaries for Owner/Operators, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Laura Lott Valenti: Just yesterday, one of my sales students was told, in an interview, that the starting salary was $50K base and a commission cap of $22.5K for a virtual sales position with a well-branded organization. I think this is great and in line with the industry and expectations! (I also have three former students who work for the company, so he would be in great hands.)
Erin McLaughlin Ph.D.
ProfessorCabrini University
What type of skills will young Owner/Operators need?
Erin McLaughlin Ph.D.: The best advice I could give a recent graduate is to maintain networking initiatives as they move through their career. It is essential to join professional organizations as these organizations will allow you to stay active in your field but will also give you the opportunity to interact with individuals that are at all levels of their careers.
How do you envision technology impacting Owner/Operators in the next 5 years?
Erin McLaughlin Ph.D.: Salaries in the international business area vary significantly, depending on the specific area of focus. However, the field has a strong salary base with significant prospects as an individual advances their career. As is the case in most fields, the higher the degree you possess, the more you are likely to make.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Owner/Operator job market given the pandemic?
Susan Meyer-Goldstein: While the pandemic remains disruptive and dangerous for workers and the broader public, there are both "typical" business activities in many sectors and "atypical" activities in others. For those hoping to get their foot in the door with a new employer, there are industries where demand is robust - some health care industries, some food industries, logistics, certain types of retail (online, for example). Some industries, such as travel, are on hold now but will begin to recover as pent-up demand returns. Many professional services - accounting, consulting - and many tech-based industries continue to see strong demand, which means that those job markets are likely to be healthy.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Owner/Operators in the next 3-5 years?
Susan Meyer-Goldstein: Well, all of them?
In addition to pre-pandemic tech development, many organizations are transitioning into new technologies, including more extensive use of some and experimentation with others. Recall that, while Zoom existed a year ago, most organizations barely used it. Now, it is ubiquitous, along with similar communication tools. The health care industry will likely be significantly transformed by technology over the next few years - not just telemedicine, but home-based medical treatments, artificial intelligence creeping into many processes, and enhanced use of information to drive activities across the industry - from tech development to insurance, pharm, elder care, etc. Many other industries will experience similar.
What type of skills will young Owner/Operators need?
Dr. Jon Tomlinson Ph.D.: Introductory management textbooks often cite CEOs' skills that include the core components of most undergraduate business programs. These skills would consist of oral and written communication, creative thinking, time management, technological skills, and most certainly understanding of the functional areas of marketing for a marketing student. You also can't discount integrity and honesty.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Owner/Operators to find work opportunities?
Dr. Jon Tomlinson Ph.D.: This question can be answered in 2 ways. In general, those in the marketing field would most likely be employed by larger firms, and larger firm headquarters are more likely to be found in larger cities across the U.S. As we have certainly seen with the COVID situation, many employers are providing remote work opportunities, which can be easily accomplished by those in the marketing field.
How do you envision technology impacting Owner/Operators in the next 5 years?
Dr. Jon Tomlinson Ph.D.: Dramatically. Everything in the field of marketing is going digital. All you have to think about is the number of traditional newspapers and magazines that have stopped production in recent years. At least right now, the Internet, social media, and streaming services seem to be the future. But, as fast as technology moves, there is liable to be a 'new' field just around the corner that could make these extinct.
Lewis Sheats
Assistant Vice Provost for Entrepreneurship and Executive Director of Entrepreneurship ClinicNorth Carolina State University
Management, Innovation & Entrepreneurship Department
What type of skills will young Owner/Operators need?
Lewis Sheats: More than ever, students are going to need critical & entrepreneurial thinking skills and be good communicators. For clarity, we define entrepreneurial thinking as the ability to identify opportunities, build teams or solutions to address these opportunities, and the ability to articulate this to the correct stakeholders.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Owner/Operators to find work opportunities?
Lewis Sheats: Due to COVID19 and workforces moving to a work from a home model, geography may not play as important of a role as it did for previous graduating classes. It is important for recent graduates to enter the workforce with purpose. Identify the role and/or industry that excites you and pursue a role accordingly. I encourage young graduates to identify the right fit vs. the right job.
How do you envision technology impacting Owner/Operators in the next 5 years?
Lewis Sheats: Technology is embedded in every aspect of our lives; this can lead to great positives and negatives. From a positive perspective, technology can lead to a greater reach for a recent graduate and increased efficiencies in accomplishing defined goals. This reliance on technology also leads to negatives, for example, the inability to disconnect and driving personal growth outside of the job.
What type of skills will young Owner/Operators need?
Randy Myer: Communication skills, like those of a good salesperson, are first and foremost. You have to sell yourself, if you are going to get the job, and then convince others that you are worth moving to the next level in your dreams.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Owner/Operators to find work opportunities?
Randy Myer: The major technology centers in the country are driving innovation and new companies. Job growth is most prevalent in young companies, and most of those start in hubs like Austin, TX or Raleigh Durham, NC. Yes, Silicon Valley is a major hub but so expensive, and CA is in trouble at so many levels, pick a hub that still knows how to manage growth