How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Anchorage, AK?

The median hourly wage is $36.79. The middle half earn between $32.05 and $46.54 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Anchorage, AK?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $28.77 an hour ($59,840 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $32.05.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Anchorage or Fairbanks?

Fairbanks pays more: the median is $76,520 in Anchorage and $82,390 in Fairbanks, a 7% difference.

How does Anchorage pay compare with the rest of Alaska?

The Anchorage median of $76,520 is 2% less than the Alaska median of $77,810.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Anchorage, AK

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Anchorage, AK area earn a median of $76,520 a year, or $36.79 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $107,110 a year. That's 2% less than the Alaska median of $77,810.

Median yearly pay$76,520

Bottom 10% under$59,840Top 10% over$107,110

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $28.77/hr
Jobs in this area: 980
After cost of living: $72,590
Median hourly pay: $36.79/hr
vs U.S. median: +28%
vs Alaska median: −2%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 11260, Anchorage, AK). Excludes self-employed heavy equipment operators. Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024. *Starting pay is estimated from the 10th percentile; BLS does not report pay by license level.

Entry-level to top heavy equipment operator pay

Stage	Yearly pay	Hourly pay
Apprentice / entry level	$59,840–$66,670$28.77–$32.05/hr
Experienced operator	$76,520$36.79/hr
Top earners	$96,810–$107,110$46.54–$51.49/hr

Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.

How Anchorage, AK compares

Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Anchorage area than nationally: 5.6 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.8 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $107,110, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $59,840: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Alaska metro areas

Fairbanks–College$82,390

Other trades in Anchorage, AK

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Lineman Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic Roofer Ironworker

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Anchorage, AK?: Heavy equipment operators in the Anchorage, AK area earn a median of $76,520 a year, or $36.79 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $107,110 a year.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Anchorage, AK?: The median hourly wage is $36.79. The middle half earn between $32.05 and $46.54 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Anchorage, AK?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $28.77 an hour ($59,840 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $32.05.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Anchorage or Fairbanks?: Fairbanks pays more: the median is $76,520 in Anchorage and $82,390 in Fairbanks, a 7% difference.
How does Anchorage pay compare with the rest of Alaska?: The Anchorage median of $76,520 is 2% less than the Alaska median of $77,810.

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), area code 11260 (Anchorage, AK). BLS counts wage and salary workers only, so self-employed heavy equipment operators and business owners aren't included. The cost-of-living figure divides the median by the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity for 2024 (105.4, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures