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

The median hourly wage is $25.04. The middle half earn between $21.98 and $29.64 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Twin Falls, ID?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.81 an hour ($43,290 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.98.

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

Coeur d'Alene pays more: the median is $52,080 in Twin Falls and $64,540 in Coeur d'Alene, a 19% difference.

How does Twin Falls pay compare with the rest of Idaho?

The Twin Falls median of $52,080 is 16% less than the Idaho median of $61,680.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Twin Falls, ID

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Twin Falls, ID area earn a median of $52,080 a year, or $25.04 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $74,970. Statewide, heavy equipment operators earn a median of $61,680; Twin Falls is 16% below it.

Median yearly pay$52,080

Bottom 10% under$43,290Top 10% over$74,970

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $20.81/hr
Jobs in this area: 150
After cost of living: $56,540
Median hourly pay: $25.04/hr
vs U.S. median: −13%
vs Idaho median: −16%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 46300, Twin Falls, 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	$43,290–$45,720$20.81–$21.98/hr
Experienced operator	$52,080$25.04/hr
Top earners	$61,650–$74,970$29.64–$36.04/hr

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

How Twin Falls, ID compares

Twin Falls has the lowest heavy equipment operator median of the 7 Idaho metro areas with published pay.
Heavy equipment operators hold about the same share of jobs in the Twin Falls area as nationally: 3.1 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $74,970, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $43,290: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Idaho metro areas

Other trades in Twin Falls, ID

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Twin Falls, ID?: Heavy equipment operators in the Twin Falls, ID area earn a median of $52,080 a year, or $25.04 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $74,970.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Twin Falls, ID?: The median hourly wage is $25.04. The middle half earn between $21.98 and $29.64 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Twin Falls, ID?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.81 an hour ($43,290 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.98.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Twin Falls or Coeur d'Alene?: Coeur d'Alene pays more: the median is $52,080 in Twin Falls and $64,540 in Coeur d'Alene, a 19% difference.
How does Twin Falls pay compare with the rest of Idaho?: The Twin Falls median of $52,080 is 16% 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 46300 (Twin Falls, 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 (92.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures