How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Boise City, ID?

The median hourly wage is $29.29. The middle half earn between $25.58 and $31.56 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Boise City, ID?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.80 an hour ($49,510 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $25.58.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Boise City or Coeur d'Alene?

Coeur d'Alene pays more: the median is $60,930 in Boise City and $64,540 in Coeur d'Alene, a 6% difference.

How does Boise City pay compare with the rest of Idaho?

The Boise City median of $60,930 is 1% less than the Idaho median of $61,680.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Boise City, ID

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Boise City, ID area earn a median of $60,930 a year, or $29.29 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $78,660. That's 1% less than the Idaho median of $61,680.

Median yearly pay$60,930

Bottom 10% under$49,510Top 10% over$78,660

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $23.80/hr
Jobs in this area: 1,730
After cost of living: $61,930
Median hourly pay: $29.29/hr
vs U.S. median: +2%
vs Idaho median: −1%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 14260, Boise City, ID). 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	$49,510–$53,210$23.80–$25.58/hr
Experienced operator	$60,930$29.29/hr
Top earners	$65,640–$78,660$31.56–$37.82/hr

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

How Boise City, ID compares

Boise City ranks 4th of 7 Idaho metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Boise City area than nationally: 4.4 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.4 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $78,660, is 1.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $49,510: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Idaho metro areas

Other trades in Boise City, ID

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Lineman Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic Roofer Ironworker Millwright

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Boise City, ID?: Heavy equipment operators in the Boise City, ID area earn a median of $60,930 a year, or $29.29 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $78,660.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Boise City, ID?: The median hourly wage is $29.29. The middle half earn between $25.58 and $31.56 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Boise City, ID?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.80 an hour ($49,510 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $25.58.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Boise City or Coeur d'Alene?: Coeur d'Alene pays more: the median is $60,930 in Boise City and $64,540 in Coeur d'Alene, a 6% difference.
How does Boise City pay compare with the rest of Idaho?: The Boise City median of $60,930 is 1% less than the Idaho median of $61,680.

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 14260 (Boise City, ID). 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 (98.4, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures