How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Rockford, IL?

The median hourly wage is $46.75. The middle half earn between $33.52 and $48.97 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Rockford, IL?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $27.73 an hour ($57,670 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $33.52.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Rockford or Chicago?

Chicago pays more: the median is $97,250 in Rockford and $103,100 in Chicago, a 6% difference.

How does Rockford pay compare with the rest of Illinois?

The Rockford median of $97,250 is 1% less than the Illinois median of $97,740.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Rockford, IL

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Rockford, IL area earn a median of $97,250 a year, or $46.75 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $117,050 a year. Statewide, heavy equipment operators earn a median of $97,740; Rockford is 1% below it.

Median yearly pay$97,250

Bottom 10% under$57,670Top 10% over$117,050

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $27.73/hr
Jobs in this area: 260
After cost of living: $105,530
Median hourly pay: $46.75/hr
vs U.S. median: +62%
vs Illinois median: −1%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 40420, Rockford, IL). 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	$57,670–$69,720$27.73–$33.52/hr
Experienced operator	$97,250$46.75/hr
Top earners	$101,850–$117,050$48.97–$56.27/hr

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

How Rockford, IL compares

Rockford ranks 3rd of 12 Illinois metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in the Rockford area than nationally: 1.9 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.61 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $117,050, is 2.0 times the 10th-percentile wage, $57,670: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Illinois metro areas

Other trades in Rockford, IL

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

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Rockford, IL?: Heavy equipment operators in the Rockford, IL area earn a median of $97,250 a year, or $46.75 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $117,050 a year.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Rockford, IL?: The median hourly wage is $46.75. The middle half earn between $33.52 and $48.97 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Rockford, IL?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $27.73 an hour ($57,670 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $33.52.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Rockford or Chicago?: Chicago pays more: the median is $97,250 in Rockford and $103,100 in Chicago, a 6% difference.
How does Rockford pay compare with the rest of Illinois?: The Rockford median of $97,250 is 1% less than the Illinois median of $97,740.

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 40420 (Rockford, IL). 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 (92.2, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures