Best Cities for Logging Equipment Operatorss

Cities ranked by purchasing power — where logging equipment operatorss get the most value from their salary after accounting for cost of living. A score above 1.00 means better than national average.

How we calculate this: City Score = (Local Salary ÷ National Median) ÷ (Local Cost ÷ National Avg Cost). A score of 1.20 means 20% better purchasing power than average.

#	Location	Score	Raw Salary	Adjusted Salary	Rent/Income
1	IllinoisState	1.47	$71,100	$72,998	22%
2	WashingtonState	1.41	$75,140	$70,028	30%
3	TexasState	1.32	$62,890	$65,785	26%
4	LouisianaState	1.31	$58,600	$65,039	21%
5	South DakotaState	1.30	$58,740	$64,692	20%
6	MinnesotaState	1.20	$58,590	$59,786	26%
7	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WAMetro	1.20	$64,520	$59,852	33%
8	IdahoState	1.18	$56,490	$58,539	25%
9	MississippiState	1.18	$49,620	$58,514	22%
10	MontanaState	1.18	$56,530	$58,641	24%
11	OregonState	1.15	$58,720	$57,010	33%
12	OhioState	1.13	$50,590	$55,962	25%
13	ArkansasState	1.12	$48,280	$55,944	22%
14	CaliforniaState	1.12	$61,940	$55,953	44%
15	AlabamaState	1.10	$47,810	$54,891	24%
16	WyomingState	1.07	$49,650	$53,387	24%
17	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SCMetro	1.06	$50,370	$52,578	36%
18	MichiganState	1.04	$47,610	$51,582	28%
19	South CarolinaState	1.04	$47,650	$51,793	32%
20	VermontState	1.04	$52,910	$51,620	32%
21	IndianaState	1.03	$46,320	$51,182	27%
22	North CarolinaState	1.03	$48,420	$51,292	32%
23	TennesseeState	1.02	$46,310	$50,612	33%
24	WisconsinState	1.01	$46,360	$50,228	28%
25	Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TNMetro	0.99	$47,350	$49,220	39%
26	FloridaState	0.98	$49,370	$48,640	42%
27	New HampshireState	0.98	$51,540	$48,623	37%
28	GeorgiaState	0.97	$45,080	$48,266	38%
29	PennsylvaniaState	0.97	$46,880	$48,330	33%
30	ColoradoState	0.95	$49,620	$47,078	45%
31	MissouriState	0.95	$41,770	$47,144	30%
32	MassachusettsState	0.91	$48,960	$45,124	55%
33	MaineState	0.90	$44,780	$44,870	35%
34	VirginiaState	0.90	$46,090	$44,531	41%
35	MarylandState	0.88	$47,530	$43,526	42%
36	West VirginiaState	0.86	$36,130	$42,910	28%
37	New YorkState	0.85	$47,540	$42,258	47%
38	OklahomaState	0.85	$37,270	$42,113	31%
39	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GAMetro	0.81	$39,020	$40,310	50%
40	KentuckyState	0.69	$30,230	$34,158	38%

Data Sources: Salary: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS). Cost of Living: BEA Regional Price Parities (2024). Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2025).