Heavy equipment operator salary in Fort Wayne, IN
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Heavy equipment operators in the Fort Wayne, IN area earn a median of $77,450 a year, or $37.24 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $95,730 a year. Across all of Indiana, the median is $79,580, so Fort Wayne pays 3% less than the state as a whole.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $22.36/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 650
- After cost of living
- $83,660
- Median hourly pay
- $37.24/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +29%
- vs Indiana median
- −3%
Entry-level to top heavy equipment operator pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $46,500–$57,800$22.36–$27.79/hr | |
| Experienced operator | $77,450$37.24/hr | |
| Top earners | $92,670–$95,730$44.55–$46.02/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Fort Wayne, IN compares
- Fort Wayne ranks 8th of 15 Indiana metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
- Heavy equipment operators hold about the same share of jobs in the Fort Wayne area as nationally: 2.9 of every 1,000 jobs.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $95,730, is 2.1 times the 10th-percentile wage, $46,500: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Indiana metro areas
Other trades in Fort Wayne, IN
Questions
- How much do heavy equipment operators make in Fort Wayne, IN?
- Heavy equipment operators in the Fort Wayne, IN area earn a median of $77,450 a year, or $37.24 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $95,730 a year.
- How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Fort Wayne, IN?
- The median hourly wage is $37.24. The middle half earn between $27.79 and $44.55 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Fort Wayne, IN?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.36 an hour ($46,500 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $27.79.
- Do heavy equipment operators make more in Fort Wayne or Chicago?
- Chicago pays more: the median is $77,450 in Fort Wayne and $103,100 in Chicago, a 25% difference.
- How does Fort Wayne pay compare with the rest of Indiana?
- The Fort Wayne median of $77,450 is 3% less than the Indiana median of $79,580.
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 23060 (Fort Wayne, IN). 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 (92.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures