How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Lawrence, KS?

The median hourly wage is $28.88. The middle half earn between $24.33 and $35.98 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Lawrence, KS?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.13 an hour ($41,870 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.33.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Lawrence or Kansas City?

Kansas City pays more: the median is $60,080 in Lawrence and $64,060 in Kansas City, a 6% difference.

How does Lawrence pay compare with the rest of Kansas?

The Lawrence median of $60,080 is 16% more than the Kansas median of $51,620.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Lawrence, KS

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Lawrence, KS area earn a median of $60,080 a year, or $28.88 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $92,860. Across all of Kansas, the median is $51,620, so Lawrence pays 16% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$60,080

Bottom 10% under$41,870Top 10% over$92,860

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $20.13/hr
Jobs in this area: 120
After cost of living: $66,580
Median hourly pay: $28.88/hr
vs U.S. median: 0%
vs Kansas median: +16%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 29940, Lawrence, KS). 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	$41,870–$50,610$20.13–$24.33/hr
Experienced operator	$60,080$28.88/hr
Top earners	$74,830–$92,860$35.98–$44.64/hr

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

How Lawrence, KS compares

Lawrence ranks 3rd of 7 Kansas metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in the Lawrence area than nationally: 2.4 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.78 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $92,860, is 2.2 times the 10th-percentile wage, $41,870: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Kansas metro areas

Other trades in Lawrence, KS

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Plumber Carpenter Auto mechanic

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Lawrence, KS?: Heavy equipment operators in the Lawrence, KS area earn a median of $60,080 a year, or $28.88 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $92,860.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Lawrence, KS?: The median hourly wage is $28.88. The middle half earn between $24.33 and $35.98 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Lawrence, KS?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.13 an hour ($41,870 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.33.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Lawrence or Kansas City?: Kansas City pays more: the median is $60,080 in Lawrence and $64,060 in Kansas City, a 6% difference.
How does Lawrence pay compare with the rest of Kansas?: The Lawrence median of $60,080 is 16% more than the Kansas median of $51,620.

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 29940 (Lawrence, KS). 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 (90.2, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures