How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Kahului, HI?

The median hourly wage is $60.09. The middle half earn between $33.42 and $62.07 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Kahului, HI?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $32.64 an hour ($67,880 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $33.42.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Kahului or Honolulu?

Kahului pays more: the median is $124,990 in Kahului and $117,630 in Honolulu, a 6% difference.

How does Kahului pay compare with the rest of Hawaii?

The Kahului median of $124,990 is 8% more than the Hawaii median of $115,860.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Kahului, HI

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Kahului–Wailuku, HI area earn a median of $124,990 a year, or $60.09 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $132,440. Across all of Hawaii, the median is $115,860, so Kahului pays 8% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$124,990

Bottom 10% under$67,880Top 10% over$132,440

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $32.64/hr
Jobs in this area: 400
After cost of living: $114,260
Median hourly pay: $60.09/hr
vs U.S. median: +109%
vs Hawaii median: +8%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 27980, Kahului-Wailuku, HI). 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	$67,880–$69,510$32.64–$33.42/hr
Experienced operator	$124,990$60.09/hr
Top earners	$129,110–$132,440$62.07–$63.68/hr

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

How Kahului, HI compares

Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Kahului area than nationally: 5.5 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.8 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $132,440, is 2.0 times the 10th-percentile wage, $67,880: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Hawaii metro areas

Urban Honolulu$117,630

Other trades in Kahului, HI

Electrician HVAC technician Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic Roofer

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Kahului, HI?: Heavy equipment operators in the Kahului–Wailuku, HI area earn a median of $124,990 a year, or $60.09 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $132,440.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Kahului, HI?: The median hourly wage is $60.09. The middle half earn between $33.42 and $62.07 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Kahului, HI?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $32.64 an hour ($67,880 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $33.42.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Kahului or Honolulu?: Kahului pays more: the median is $124,990 in Kahului and $117,630 in Honolulu, a 6% difference.
How does Kahului pay compare with the rest of Hawaii?: The Kahului median of $124,990 is 8% more than the Hawaii median of $115,860.

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 27980 (Kahului-Wailuku, HI). 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 (109.4, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures