Heavy equipment operator salary in Little Rock, AR
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Heavy equipment operators in the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway, AR area earn a median of $46,290 a year, or $22.25 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $58,770. Statewide, heavy equipment operators earn a median of $44,520; Little Rock is 4% above it.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $18.18/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 1,230
- After cost of living
- $51,800
- Median hourly pay
- $22.25/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −23%
- vs Arkansas median
- +4%
Entry-level to top heavy equipment operator pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $37,800–$40,420$18.18–$19.43/hr | |
| Experienced operator | $46,290$22.25/hr | |
| Top earners | $49,820–$58,770$23.95–$28.26/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Little Rock, AR compares
- Little Rock ranks 4th of 7 Arkansas metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
- Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Little Rock area than nationally: 3.4 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.1 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $58,770, is 1.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $37,800: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Arkansas metro areas
Other trades in Little Rock, AR
Questions
- How much do heavy equipment operators make in Little Rock, AR?
- Heavy equipment operators in the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway, AR area earn a median of $46,290 a year, or $22.25 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $58,770.
- How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Little Rock, AR?
- The median hourly wage is $22.25. The middle half earn between $19.43 and $23.95 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Little Rock, AR?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.18 an hour ($37,800 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $19.43.
- Do heavy equipment operators make more in Little Rock or Memphis?
- Memphis pays more: the median is $46,290 in Little Rock and $53,870 in Memphis, a 14% difference.
- How does Little Rock pay compare with the rest of Arkansas?
- The Little Rock median of $46,290 is 4% 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 30780 (Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, 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 (89.4, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures