Heavy equipment operator salary in Baton Rouge, LA
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Heavy equipment operators in the Baton Rouge, LA area earn a median of $58,210 a year, or $27.99 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $76,720. Across all of Louisiana, the median is $51,700, so Baton Rouge pays 13% more than the state as a whole.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $19.71/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 2,260
- After cost of living
- $64,120
- Median hourly pay
- $27.99/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −3%
- vs Louisiana median
- +13%
Entry-level to top heavy equipment operator pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $40,990–$49,070$19.71–$23.59/hr | |
| Experienced operator | $58,210$27.99/hr | |
| Top earners | $64,480–$76,720$31.00–$36.88/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Baton Rouge, LA compares
- Baton Rouge ranks 2nd of 10 Louisiana metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
- Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Baton Rouge area than nationally: 5.5 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.8 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $76,720, is 1.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $40,990: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Louisiana metro areas
Other trades in Baton Rouge, LA
Questions
- How much do heavy equipment operators make in Baton Rouge, LA?
- Heavy equipment operators in the Baton Rouge, LA area earn a median of $58,210 a year, or $27.99 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $76,720.
- How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Baton Rouge, LA?
- The median hourly wage is $27.99. The middle half earn between $23.59 and $31.00 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Baton Rouge, LA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.71 an hour ($40,990 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.59.
- Do heavy equipment operators make more in Baton Rouge or New Orleans?
- Pay is about the same: the median is $58,210 in Baton Rouge and $58,240 in New Orleans.
- How does Baton Rouge pay compare with the rest of Louisiana?
- The Baton Rouge median of $58,210 is 13% more than the Louisiana median of $51,700.
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 12940 (Baton Rouge, LA). 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 (90.8, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures