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

The median hourly wage is $27.29. The middle half earn between $22.57 and $31.36 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Topeka, 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 $22.57.

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

Kansas City pays more: the median is $56,760 in Topeka and $64,060 in Kansas City, a 11% difference.

How does Topeka pay compare with the rest of Kansas?

The Topeka median of $56,760 is 10% more than the Kansas median of $51,620.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Topeka, KS

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Topeka, KS area earn a median of $56,760 a year, or $27.29 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $82,560 a year. That's 10% more than the Kansas median of $51,620.

Median yearly pay$56,760

Bottom 10% under$41,870Top 10% over$82,560

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $20.13/hr
Jobs in this area: 530
After cost of living: $63,900
Median hourly pay: $27.29/hr
vs U.S. median: −5%
vs Kansas median: +10%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 45820, Topeka, 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–$46,950$20.13–$22.57/hr
Experienced operator	$56,760$27.29/hr
Top earners	$65,220–$82,560$31.36–$39.69/hr

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

How Topeka, KS compares

Topeka ranks 5th of 7 Kansas metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Topeka area than nationally: 4.6 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.5 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $82,560, is 2.0 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 Topeka, KS

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Lineman Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic Roofer Millwright

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Topeka, KS?: Heavy equipment operators in the Topeka, KS area earn a median of $56,760 a year, or $27.29 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $82,560 a year.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Topeka, KS?: The median hourly wage is $27.29. The middle half earn between $22.57 and $31.36 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Topeka, 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 $22.57.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Topeka or Kansas City?: Kansas City pays more: the median is $56,760 in Topeka and $64,060 in Kansas City, a 11% difference.
How does Topeka pay compare with the rest of Kansas?: The Topeka median of $56,760 is 10% 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 45820 (Topeka, 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 (88.8, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures