Heavy equipment operator salary in Phoenix, AZ
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Heavy equipment operators in the Phoenix–Mesa–Chandler, AZ area earn a median of $62,540 a year, or $30.07 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $81,220 a year. Across all of Arizona, the median is $60,620, so Phoenix pays 3% more than the state as a whole.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $23.39/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 7,980
- After cost of living
- $60,530
- Median hourly pay
- $30.07/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +4%
- vs Arizona median
- +3%
Entry-level to top heavy equipment operator pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $48,660–$52,400$23.39–$25.19/hr | |
| Experienced operator | $62,540$30.07/hr | |
| Top earners | $67,530–$81,220$32.47–$39.05/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Phoenix, AZ compares
- Phoenix has the highest heavy equipment operator median of the 7 Arizona metro areas with published pay.
- Heavy equipment operators hold about the same share of jobs in the Phoenix area as nationally: 3.4 of every 1,000 jobs.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $81,220, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $48,660: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Arizona metro areas
Other trades in Phoenix, AZ
Questions
- How much do heavy equipment operators make in Phoenix, AZ?
- Heavy equipment operators in the Phoenix–Mesa–Chandler, AZ area earn a median of $62,540 a year, or $30.07 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $81,220 a year.
- How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Phoenix, AZ?
- The median hourly wage is $30.07. The middle half earn between $25.19 and $32.47 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Phoenix, AZ?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.39 an hour ($48,660 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $25.19.
- Do heavy equipment operators make more in Phoenix or Prescott Valley?
- Phoenix pays more: the median is $62,540 in Phoenix and $60,830 in Prescott Valley, a 3% difference.
- How does Phoenix pay compare with the rest of Arizona?
- The Phoenix median of $62,540 is 3% more 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 38060 (Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, 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 (103.3, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures