How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Boulder, CO?

The median hourly wage is $34.16. The middle half earn between $29.51 and $38.37 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Boulder, CO?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $24.25 an hour ($50,440 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.51.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Boulder or Fort Collins?

Boulder pays more: the median is $71,060 in Boulder and $64,650 in Fort Collins, a 10% difference.

How does Boulder pay compare with the rest of Colorado?

The Boulder median of $71,060 is 13% more than the Colorado median of $62,620.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Boulder, CO

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Boulder, CO area earn a median of $71,060 a year, or $34.16 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $93,370 a year. Statewide, heavy equipment operators earn a median of $62,620; Boulder is 13% above it.

Median yearly pay$71,060

Bottom 10% under$50,440Top 10% over$93,370

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $24.25/hr
Jobs in this area: 190
After cost of living: $67,550
Median hourly pay: $34.16/hr
vs U.S. median: +19%
vs Colorado median: +13%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 14500, Boulder, CO). 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	$50,440–$61,380$24.25–$29.51/hr
Experienced operator	$71,060$34.16/hr
Top earners	$79,820–$93,370$38.37–$44.89/hr

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

How Boulder, CO compares

Boulder has the highest heavy equipment operator median of the 7 Colorado metro areas with published pay.
Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in the Boulder area than nationally: 1.0 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.32 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $93,370, is 1.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $50,440: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Colorado metro areas

Other trades in Boulder, CO

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic Roofer

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Boulder, CO?: Heavy equipment operators in the Boulder, CO area earn a median of $71,060 a year, or $34.16 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $93,370 a year.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Boulder, CO?: The median hourly wage is $34.16. The middle half earn between $29.51 and $38.37 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Boulder, CO?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $24.25 an hour ($50,440 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.51.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Boulder or Fort Collins?: Boulder pays more: the median is $71,060 in Boulder and $64,650 in Fort Collins, a 10% difference.
How does Boulder pay compare with the rest of Colorado?: The Boulder median of $71,060 is 13% more than the Colorado median of $62,620.

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 14500 (Boulder, CO). 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 (105.2, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures