How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Dubuque, IA?

The median hourly wage is $29.93. The middle half earn between $26.92 and $35.52 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Dubuque, IA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.39 an hour ($48,660 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $26.92.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Dubuque or Waterloo?

Waterloo pays more: the median is $62,250 in Dubuque and $97,770 in Waterloo, a 36% difference.

How does Dubuque pay compare with the rest of Iowa?

The Dubuque median of $62,250 is 3% more than the Iowa median of $60,330.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Dubuque, IA

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Dubuque, IA area earn a median of $62,250 a year, or $29.93 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $91,490. That's 3% more than the Iowa median of $60,330.

Median yearly pay$62,250

Bottom 10% under$48,660Top 10% over$91,490

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $23.39/hr
Jobs in this area: 160
After cost of living: $71,280
Median hourly pay: $29.93/hr
vs U.S. median: +4%
vs Iowa median: +3%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 20220, Dubuque, IA). 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	$48,660–$56,000$23.39–$26.92/hr
Experienced operator	$62,250$29.93/hr
Top earners	$73,880–$91,490$35.52–$43.99/hr

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

How Dubuque, IA compares

Dubuque ranks 6th of 9 Iowa metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators hold about the same share of jobs in the Dubuque area as nationally: 2.8 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $91,490, is 1.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $48,660: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Iowa metro areas

Other trades in Dubuque, IA

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Dubuque, IA?: Heavy equipment operators in the Dubuque, IA area earn a median of $62,250 a year, or $29.93 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $91,490.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Dubuque, IA?: The median hourly wage is $29.93. The middle half earn between $26.92 and $35.52 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Dubuque, IA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.39 an hour ($48,660 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $26.92.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Dubuque or Waterloo?: Waterloo pays more: the median is $62,250 in Dubuque and $97,770 in Waterloo, a 36% difference.
How does Dubuque pay compare with the rest of Iowa?: The Dubuque median of $62,250 is 3% more than the Iowa median of $60,330.

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 20220 (Dubuque, IA). 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 (87.3, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures