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

The median hourly wage is $26.09. The middle half earn between $22.99 and $28.47 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

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

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.60 an hour ($42,850 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.99.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Yuma or Phoenix?

Phoenix pays more: the median is $54,270 in Yuma and $62,540 in Phoenix, a 13% difference.

How does Yuma pay compare with the rest of Arizona?

The Yuma median of $54,270 is 10% less than the Arizona median of $60,620.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Yuma, AZ

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Yuma, AZ area earn a median of $54,270 a year, or $26.09 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $73,960. Statewide, heavy equipment operators earn a median of $60,620; Yuma is 10% below it.

Median yearly pay$54,270

Bottom 10% under$42,850Top 10% over$73,960

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $20.60/hr
Jobs in this area: 180
After cost of living: $58,540
Median hourly pay: $26.09/hr
vs U.S. median: −9%
vs Arizona median: −10%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 49740, Yuma, 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	$42,850–$47,830$20.60–$22.99/hr
Experienced operator	$54,270$26.09/hr
Top earners	$59,220–$73,960$28.47–$35.56/hr

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

How Yuma, AZ compares

Yuma ranks 5th of 7 Arizona metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in the Yuma area than nationally: 2.5 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.83 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $73,960, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $42,850: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Arizona metro areas

Other trades in Yuma, AZ

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Lineman Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Yuma, AZ?: Heavy equipment operators in the Yuma, AZ area earn a median of $54,270 a year, or $26.09 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $73,960.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Yuma, AZ?: The median hourly wage is $26.09. The middle half earn between $22.99 and $28.47 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Yuma, AZ?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.60 an hour ($42,850 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.99.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Yuma or Phoenix?: Phoenix pays more: the median is $54,270 in Yuma and $62,540 in Phoenix, a 13% difference.
How does Yuma pay compare with the rest of Arizona?: The Yuma median of $54,270 is 10% 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 49740 (Yuma, 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 (92.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures