How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Flagstaff, AZ?

The median hourly wage is $28.23. The middle half earn between $23.79 and $29.54 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Flagstaff, AZ?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.91 an hour ($47,650 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.79.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Flagstaff or Phoenix?

Phoenix pays more: the median is $58,720 in Flagstaff and $62,540 in Phoenix, a 6% difference.

How does Flagstaff pay compare with the rest of Arizona?

The Flagstaff median of $58,720 is 3% less than the Arizona median of $60,620.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Flagstaff, AZ

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Flagstaff, AZ area earn a median of $58,720 a year, or $28.23 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $77,580 a year. That's 3% less than the Arizona median of $60,620.

Median yearly pay$58,720

Bottom 10% under$47,650Top 10% over$77,580

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $22.91/hr
Jobs in this area: 250
After cost of living: $58,530
Median hourly pay: $28.23/hr
vs U.S. median: −2%
vs Arizona median: −3%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 22380, Flagstaff, AZ). 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	$47,650–$49,480$22.91–$23.79/hr
Experienced operator	$58,720$28.23/hr
Top earners	$61,440–$77,580$29.54–$37.30/hr

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

How Flagstaff, AZ compares

Flagstaff ranks 3rd of 7 Arizona metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Flagstaff area than nationally: 3.7 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.2 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $77,580, is 1.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $47,650: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Arizona metro areas

Other trades in Flagstaff, AZ

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Flagstaff, AZ?: Heavy equipment operators in the Flagstaff, AZ area earn a median of $58,720 a year, or $28.23 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $77,580 a year.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Flagstaff, AZ?: The median hourly wage is $28.23. The middle half earn between $23.79 and $29.54 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Flagstaff, AZ?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.91 an hour ($47,650 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.79.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Flagstaff or Phoenix?: Phoenix pays more: the median is $58,720 in Flagstaff and $62,540 in Phoenix, a 6% difference.
How does Flagstaff pay compare with the rest of Arizona?: The Flagstaff median of $58,720 is 3% less than the Arizona median of $60,620.

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 22380 (Flagstaff, AZ). 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 (100.3, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures