Heavy equipment operator salary
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
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. One in ten earns more than $101,090.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $20.28/hr
- Jobs nationwide
- 478,090
- Median hourly pay
- $28.78/hr
Entry-level to top heavy equipment operator pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $42,190–$48,680$20.28–$23.40/hr | |
| Experienced operator | $59,850$28.78/hr | |
| Top earners | $77,170–$101,090$37.10–$48.60/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
Pay over time
The median heavy equipment operator wage in the U.S. rose 23.8%, from $48,360 in May 2021 to $59,850 in May 2025. Prices rose 19.4% over the same period, so after inflation it rose 3.6%.
| Year | Median a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $48,360 | $23.25/hr |
| May 2022 | $51,430 | $24.73/hr |
| May 2023 | $56,160 | $27.00/hr |
| May 2024 | $58,710 | $28.23/hr |
| May 2025 | $59,850 | $28.78/hr |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, each May release; inflation from the BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI-U, May of each year). BLS cautions against reading much into year-to-year changes, so we compare the first and last years. How we compare years
How it compares
- The 90th-percentile wage, $101,090, is 2.4 times the 10th-percentile wage, $42,190: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Heavy equipment operator pay by 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
Every metro area ranked by heavy equipment operator pay after cost of living
Other trades in the U.S.
Questions
- How much do heavy equipment operators make?
- 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. One in ten earns more than $101,090.
- How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in the U.S.?
- The median hourly wage is $28.78. The middle half earn between $23.40 and $37.10 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in the U.S.?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.28 an hour ($42,190 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.40.
- Has heavy equipment operator pay gone up?
- The median heavy equipment operator wage in the U.S. rose 23.8%, from $48,360 in May 2021 to $59,850 in May 2025. Prices rose 19.4% over the same period, so after inflation it rose 3.6%. (BLS wage data and Consumer Price Index.)
- Which state pays heavy equipment operators the most?
- Hawaii, with a median of $115,860 a year, followed by Illinois ($97,740). Arkansas has the lowest median, $44,520.
- Which metro area pays heavy equipment operators the most?
- The Kahului–Wailuku, HI area, with a median of $124,990 a year.
About this data
Wages are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, occupation 47-2073 (Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators). BLS counts wage and salary workers only, so self-employed heavy equipment operators and business owners aren't included. Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures