Heavy equipment operator career
BLS occupation: Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (47-2073). Updated September 27, 2026.
Pay
Heavy equipment operators in the U.S. earn a median of $59,850 a year, or $28.78 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data.
What heavy equipment operators do
- Learn and follow safety regulations.
- Take actions to avoid potential hazards or obstructions, such as utility lines, other equipment, other workers, or falling objects.
- Start engines, move throttles, switches, or levers, or depress pedals to operate machines, such as bulldozers, trench excavators, road graders, or backhoes.
- Coordinate machine actions with other activities, positioning or moving loads in response to hand or audio signals from crew members.
- Locate underground services, such as pipes or wires, prior to beginning work.
- Align machines, cutterheads, or depth gauge makers with reference stakes and guidelines or ground or position equipment, following hand signals of other workers.
- Signal operators to guide movement of tractor-drawn machines.
- Repair and maintain equipment, making emergency adjustments or assisting with major repairs as necessary.
The most important tasks, as rated by workers in the occupation. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Job outlook
BLS projects heavy equipment operator jobs will grow 4.6% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% for all U.S. jobs, with about 39,200 openings a year as people join, retire, and change careers.
- Jobs in 2025
- 489,500
- Projected for 2035
- 511,800
- Openings a year
- 39,200
- Self-employed
- 2.3%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035. Job counts include self-employed workers.
Training
- Typical education to start
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Experience in a related job
- None
- Typical on-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Source: BLS Employment Projections. Licensing rules vary by state; confirm with your state's licensing board.
Pay in your state
- Hawaii$115,860
- Illinois$97,740
- New Jersey$89,660
- California$87,160
- Washington$81,700
- New York$80,980
- Indiana$79,580
- Minnesota$79,130
- Connecticut$78,750
- Alaska$77,810
See all 50 states and DC
- Massachusetts$76,820
- Wisconsin$75,280
- District of Columbia$74,610
- Oregon$73,430
- Nevada$71,410
- Ohio$64,940
- Rhode Island$63,610
- Wyoming$62,960
- Michigan$62,690
- Colorado$62,620
- New Hampshire$62,200
- North Dakota$62,150
- Idaho$61,680
- Montana$61,580
- Maryland$61,410
- Utah$60,740
- Arizona$60,620
- Missouri$60,540
- Pennsylvania$60,530
- Iowa$60,330
- South Dakota$59,500
- Vermont$58,870
- Nebraska$58,360
- Delaware$58,020
- Kentucky$57,780
- Virginia$57,160
- Maine$56,140
- New Mexico$52,000
- Tennessee$52,000
- Louisiana$51,700
- Kansas$51,620
- West Virginia$51,300
- Texas$50,460
- Florida$49,400
- North Carolina$49,310
- South Carolina$48,940
- Oklahoma$47,970
- Georgia$47,880
- Alabama$47,520
- Mississippi$47,410
- Arkansas$44,520
Top-paying metro areas
- Kahului–WailukuHI$124,990
- San Francisco–Oakland–FremontCA$124,750
- San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa ClaraCA$124,340
- Urban HonoluluHI$117,630
- Santa Rosa–PetalumaCA$105,080
- Chicago–Naperville–ElginIL-IN$103,100
- Olympia–Lacey–TumwaterWA$103,060
- DecaturIL$100,520
- Michigan City–La PorteIN$98,120
- Waterloo–Cedar FallsIA$97,770
Other trades
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Excludes self-employed heavy equipment operators.