Heavy equipment operator salary in Shreveport, LA
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Heavy equipment operators in the Shreveport–Bossier City, LA area earn a median of $51,000 a year, or $24.52 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $69,130. Across all of Louisiana, the median is $51,700, so Shreveport pays 1% less than the state as a whole.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $18.69/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 750
- After cost of living
- $60,170
- Median hourly pay
- $24.52/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −15%
- vs Louisiana median
- −1%
Entry-level to top heavy equipment operator pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $38,880–$46,940$18.69–$22.57/hr | |
| Experienced operator | $51,000$24.52/hr | |
| Top earners | $65,730–$69,130$31.60–$33.24/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Shreveport, LA compares
- Shreveport ranks 3rd of 10 Louisiana metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
- Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Shreveport area than nationally: 4.6 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.5 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $69,130, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $38,880: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Louisiana metro areas
Other trades in Shreveport, LA
Questions
- How much do heavy equipment operators make in Shreveport, LA?
- Heavy equipment operators in the Shreveport–Bossier City, LA area earn a median of $51,000 a year, or $24.52 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $69,130.
- How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Shreveport, LA?
- The median hourly wage is $24.52. The middle half earn between $22.57 and $31.60 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Shreveport, LA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.69 an hour ($38,880 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.57.
- Do heavy equipment operators make more in Shreveport or New Orleans?
- New Orleans pays more: the median is $51,000 in Shreveport and $58,240 in New Orleans, a 12% difference.
- How does Shreveport pay compare with the rest of Louisiana?
- The Shreveport median of $51,000 is 1% 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 43340 (Shreveport-Bossier City, 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 (84.8, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures