Heavy equipment operator salary in Louisville, KY-IN
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Heavy equipment operators in the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN area earn a median of $61,890 a year, or $29.76 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $90,310. Statewide, heavy equipment operators earn a median of $57,780; Louisville is 7% above it.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $23.15/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 1,920
- After cost of living
- $66,500
- Median hourly pay
- $29.76/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +3%
- vs Kentucky median
- +7%
Entry-level to top heavy equipment operator pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $48,150–$52,720$23.15–$25.35/hr | |
| Experienced operator | $61,890$29.76/hr | |
| Top earners | $75,890–$90,310$36.49–$43.42/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Louisville, KY-IN compares
- Louisville ranks 2nd of 9 Kentucky metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
- Heavy equipment operators hold about the same share of jobs in the Louisville area as nationally: 2.8 of every 1,000 jobs.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $90,310, is 1.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $48,150: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Kentucky metro areas
Other trades in Louisville, KY-IN
Questions
- How much do heavy equipment operators make in Louisville, KY-IN?
- Heavy equipment operators in the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN area earn a median of $61,890 a year, or $29.76 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $90,310.
- How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Louisville, KY-IN?
- The median hourly wage is $29.76. The middle half earn between $25.35 and $36.49 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Louisville, KY-IN?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.15 an hour ($48,150 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $25.35.
- Do heavy equipment operators make more in Louisville or Cincinnati?
- Cincinnati pays more: the median is $61,890 in Louisville and $66,950 in Cincinnati, a 8% difference.
- How does Louisville pay compare with the rest of Kentucky?
- The Louisville median of $61,890 is 7% more than the Kentucky median of $57,780.
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 31140 (Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-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 (93.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures