Heavy equipment operator salary in Norwich, CT
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Heavy equipment operators in the Norwich–New London–Willimantic, CT area earn a median of $66,850 a year, or $32.14 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $101,960. Across all of Connecticut, the median is $78,750, so Norwich pays 15% less than the state as a whole.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $26.27/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 210
- After cost of living
- $66,550
- Median hourly pay
- $32.14/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +12%
- vs Connecticut median
- −15%
Entry-level to top heavy equipment operator pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $54,630–$63,170$26.27–$30.37/hr | |
| Experienced operator | $66,850$32.14/hr | |
| Top earners | $78,270–$101,960$37.63–$49.02/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Norwich, CT compares
- Norwich has the lowest heavy equipment operator median of the 5 Connecticut metro areas with published pay.
- Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in the Norwich area than nationally: 1.6 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.53 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $101,960, is 1.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $54,630: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Connecticut metro areas
Other trades in Norwich, CT
Questions
- How much do heavy equipment operators make in Norwich, CT?
- Heavy equipment operators in the Norwich–New London–Willimantic, CT area earn a median of $66,850 a year, or $32.14 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $101,960.
- How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Norwich, CT?
- The median hourly wage is $32.14. The middle half earn between $30.37 and $37.63 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Norwich, CT?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $26.27 an hour ($54,630 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $30.37.
- Do heavy equipment operators make more in Norwich or Bridgeport?
- Bridgeport pays more: the median is $66,850 in Norwich and $82,250 in Bridgeport, a 19% difference.
- How does Norwich pay compare with the rest of Connecticut?
- The Norwich median of $66,850 is 15% less than the Connecticut median of $78,750.
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 35980 (Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT). 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 (100.4, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures