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

The median hourly wage is $28.48. The middle half earn between $22.83 and $30.22 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Pocatello, ID?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.58 an hour ($44,880 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.83.

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

Coeur d'Alene pays more: the median is $59,250 in Pocatello and $64,540 in Coeur d'Alene, a 8% difference.

How does Pocatello pay compare with the rest of Idaho?

The Pocatello median of $59,250 is 4% less than the Idaho median of $61,680.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Pocatello, ID

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Pocatello, ID area earn a median of $59,250 a year, or $28.48 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $78,560 a year. That's 4% less than the Idaho median of $61,680.

Median yearly pay$59,250

Bottom 10% under$44,880Top 10% over$78,560

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $21.58/hr
Jobs in this area: 190
After cost of living: $66,640
Median hourly pay: $28.48/hr
vs U.S. median: −1%
vs Idaho median: −4%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 38540, Pocatello, 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	$44,880–$47,480$21.58–$22.83/hr
Experienced operator	$59,250$28.48/hr
Top earners	$62,850–$78,560$30.22–$37.77/hr

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

How Pocatello, ID compares

Pocatello ranks 5th of 7 Idaho metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Pocatello area than nationally: 4.9 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.6 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $78,560, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $44,880: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Idaho metro areas

Other trades in Pocatello, ID

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic Roofer

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Pocatello, ID?: Heavy equipment operators in the Pocatello, ID area earn a median of $59,250 a year, or $28.48 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $78,560 a year.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Pocatello, ID?: The median hourly wage is $28.48. The middle half earn between $22.83 and $30.22 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Pocatello, ID?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.58 an hour ($44,880 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.83.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Pocatello or Coeur d'Alene?: Coeur d'Alene pays more: the median is $59,250 in Pocatello and $64,540 in Coeur d'Alene, a 8% difference.
How does Pocatello pay compare with the rest of Idaho?: The Pocatello median of $59,250 is 4% 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 38540 (Pocatello, 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 (88.9, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures