How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Kokomo, IN?

The median hourly wage is $39.55. The middle half earn between $28.80 and $45.73 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Kokomo, IN?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.83 an hour ($47,480 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $28.80.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Kokomo or Chicago?

Chicago pays more: the median is $82,270 in Kokomo and $103,100 in Chicago, a 20% difference.

How does Kokomo pay compare with the rest of Indiana?

The Kokomo median of $82,270 is 3% more than the Indiana median of $79,580.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Kokomo, IN

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Kokomo, IN area earn a median of $82,270 a year, or $39.55 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $105,380. That's 3% more than the Indiana median of $79,580.

Median yearly pay$82,270

Bottom 10% under$47,480Top 10% over$105,380

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $22.83/hr
Jobs in this area: 100
After cost of living: $91,770
Median hourly pay: $39.55/hr
vs U.S. median: +37%
vs Indiana median: +3%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 29020, Kokomo, IN). 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	$47,480–$59,890$22.83–$28.80/hr
Experienced operator	$82,270$39.55/hr
Top earners	$95,120–$105,380$45.73–$50.66/hr

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

How Kokomo, IN compares

Kokomo ranks 5th of 15 Indiana metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators hold about the same share of jobs in the Kokomo area as nationally: 2.8 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $105,380, is 2.2 times the 10th-percentile wage, $47,480: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Indiana metro areas

Other trades in Kokomo, IN

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Kokomo, IN?: Heavy equipment operators in the Kokomo, IN area earn a median of $82,270 a year, or $39.55 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $105,380.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Kokomo, IN?: The median hourly wage is $39.55. The middle half earn between $28.80 and $45.73 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Kokomo, IN?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.83 an hour ($47,480 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $28.80.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Kokomo or Chicago?: Chicago pays more: the median is $82,270 in Kokomo and $103,100 in Chicago, a 20% difference.
How does Kokomo pay compare with the rest of Indiana?: The Kokomo median of $82,270 is 3% more 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 29020 (Kokomo, 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 (89.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures