How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Jonesboro, AR?

The median hourly wage is $21.92. The middle half earn between $18.23 and $23.12 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Jonesboro, AR?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $15.03 an hour ($31,260 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $18.23.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Jonesboro or Memphis?

Memphis pays more: the median is $45,590 in Jonesboro and $53,870 in Memphis, a 15% difference.

How does Jonesboro pay compare with the rest of Arkansas?

The Jonesboro median of $45,590 is 2% more than the Arkansas median of $44,520.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Jonesboro, AR

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Jonesboro, AR area earn a median of $45,590 a year, or $21.92 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $56,220 a year. Statewide, heavy equipment operators earn a median of $44,520; Jonesboro is 2% above it.

Median yearly pay$45,590

Bottom 10% under$31,260Top 10% over$56,220

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $15.03/hr
Jobs in this area: 240
After cost of living: $53,090
Median hourly pay: $21.92/hr
vs U.S. median: −24%
vs Arkansas median: +2%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 27860, Jonesboro, AR). 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	$31,260–$37,910$15.03–$18.23/hr
Experienced operator	$45,590$21.92/hr
Top earners	$48,090–$56,220$23.12–$27.03/hr

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

How Jonesboro, AR compares

Jonesboro ranks 5th of 7 Arkansas metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Jonesboro area than nationally: 3.9 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.3 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $56,220, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $31,260: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Arkansas metro areas

Other trades in Jonesboro, AR

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Lineman Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Jonesboro, AR?: Heavy equipment operators in the Jonesboro, AR area earn a median of $45,590 a year, or $21.92 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $56,220 a year.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Jonesboro, AR?: The median hourly wage is $21.92. The middle half earn between $18.23 and $23.12 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Jonesboro, AR?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $15.03 an hour ($31,260 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $18.23.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Jonesboro or Memphis?: Memphis pays more: the median is $45,590 in Jonesboro and $53,870 in Memphis, a 15% difference.
How does Jonesboro pay compare with the rest of Arkansas?: The Jonesboro median of $45,590 is 2% more than the Arkansas median of $44,520.

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 27860 (Jonesboro, AR). 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 (85.9, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures