How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Monroe, LA?

The median hourly wage is $22.12. The middle half earn between $17.49 and $25.63 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Monroe, LA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $14.59 an hour ($30,350 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $17.49.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Monroe or New Orleans?

New Orleans pays more: the median is $46,000 in Monroe and $58,240 in New Orleans, a 21% difference.

How does Monroe pay compare with the rest of Louisiana?

The Monroe median of $46,000 is 11% less than the Louisiana median of $51,700.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Monroe, LA

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Monroe, LA area earn a median of $46,000 a year, or $22.12 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $66,660 a year. Across all of Louisiana, the median is $51,700, so Monroe pays 11% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$46,000

Bottom 10% under$30,350Top 10% over$66,660

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $14.59/hr
Jobs in this area: 230
After cost of living: $55,030
Median hourly pay: $22.12/hr
vs U.S. median: −23%
vs Louisiana median: −11%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 33740, Monroe, LA). 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	$30,350–$36,380$14.59–$17.49/hr
Experienced operator	$46,000$22.12/hr
Top earners	$53,310–$66,660$25.63–$32.05/hr

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

How Monroe, LA compares

Monroe ranks 9th of 10 Louisiana metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in the Monroe area than nationally: 2.6 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.86 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $66,660, is 2.2 times the 10th-percentile wage, $30,350: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Louisiana metro areas

Other trades in Monroe, LA

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

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Monroe, LA?: Heavy equipment operators in the Monroe, LA area earn a median of $46,000 a year, or $22.12 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $66,660 a year.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Monroe, LA?: The median hourly wage is $22.12. The middle half earn between $17.49 and $25.63 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Monroe, LA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $14.59 an hour ($30,350 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $17.49.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Monroe or New Orleans?: New Orleans pays more: the median is $46,000 in Monroe and $58,240 in New Orleans, a 21% difference.
How does Monroe pay compare with the rest of Louisiana?: The Monroe median of $46,000 is 11% less 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 33740 (Monroe, 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 (83.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures