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

The median hourly wage is $28.81. The middle half earn between $22.46 and $42.75 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

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

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.04 an hour ($43,770 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.46.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Muncie or Chicago?

Chicago pays more: the median is $59,910 in Muncie and $103,100 in Chicago, a 42% difference.

How does Muncie pay compare with the rest of Indiana?

The Muncie median of $59,910 is 25% less than the Indiana median of $79,580.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Muncie, IN

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Muncie, IN area earn a median of $59,910 a year, or $28.81 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $96,550. Across all of Indiana, the median is $79,580, so Muncie pays 25% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$59,910

Bottom 10% under$43,770Top 10% over$96,550

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $21.04/hr
Jobs in this area: 80
After cost of living: $67,970
Median hourly pay: $28.81/hr
vs U.S. median: 0%
vs Indiana median: −25%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 34620, Muncie, 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	$43,770–$46,710$21.04–$22.46/hr
Experienced operator	$59,910$28.81/hr
Top earners	$88,920–$96,550$42.75–$46.42/hr

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

How Muncie, IN compares

Muncie has the lowest heavy equipment operator median of the 15 Indiana metro areas with published pay.
Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in the Muncie area than nationally: 1.7 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.56 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $96,550, is 2.2 times the 10th-percentile wage, $43,770: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Indiana metro areas

Other trades in Muncie, IN

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Muncie, IN?: Heavy equipment operators in the Muncie, IN area earn a median of $59,910 a year, or $28.81 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $96,550.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Muncie, IN?: The median hourly wage is $28.81. The middle half earn between $22.46 and $42.75 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Muncie, IN?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.04 an hour ($43,770 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.46.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Muncie or Chicago?: Chicago pays more: the median is $59,910 in Muncie and $103,100 in Chicago, a 42% difference.
How does Muncie pay compare with the rest of Indiana?: The Muncie median of $59,910 is 25% 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 34620 (Muncie, 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 (88.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures