How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Paducah, KY-IL?

The median hourly wage is $28.36. The middle half earn between $23.98 and $31.09 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Paducah, KY-IL?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.89 an hour ($47,610 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.98.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Paducah or Cincinnati?

Cincinnati pays more: the median is $59,000 in Paducah and $66,950 in Cincinnati, a 12% difference.

How does Paducah pay compare with the rest of Kentucky?

The Paducah median of $59,000 is 2% more than the Kentucky median of $57,780.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Paducah, KY-IL

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Paducah, KY-IL area earn a median of $59,000 a year, or $28.36 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $83,810. That's 2% more than the Kentucky median of $57,780.

Median yearly pay$59,000

Bottom 10% under$47,610Top 10% over$83,810

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $22.89/hr
Jobs in this area: 460
After cost of living: $68,540
Median hourly pay: $28.36/hr
vs U.S. median: −1%
vs Kentucky median: +2%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 37140, Paducah, KY-IL). 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	$47,610–$49,880$22.89–$23.98/hr
Experienced operator	$59,000$28.36/hr
Top earners	$64,670–$83,810$31.09–$40.29/hr

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

How Paducah, KY-IL compares

Paducah ranks 4th of 9 Kentucky metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Paducah area than nationally: 9.2 of every 1,000 jobs, 3.0 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $83,810, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $47,610: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Kentucky metro areas

Other trades in Paducah, KY-IL

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Lineman Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Paducah, KY-IL?: Heavy equipment operators in the Paducah, KY-IL area earn a median of $59,000 a year, or $28.36 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $83,810.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Paducah, KY-IL?: The median hourly wage is $28.36. The middle half earn between $23.98 and $31.09 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Paducah, KY-IL?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.89 an hour ($47,610 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.98.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Paducah or Cincinnati?: Cincinnati pays more: the median is $59,000 in Paducah and $66,950 in Cincinnati, a 12% difference.
How does Paducah pay compare with the rest of Kentucky?: The Paducah median of $59,000 is 2% 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 37140 (Paducah, KY-IL). 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 (86.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures