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

The median hourly wage is $24.32. The middle half earn between $22.64 and $31.88 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

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

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.89 an hour ($39,290 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.64.

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

New Orleans pays more: the median is $50,580 in Slidell and $58,240 in New Orleans, a 13% difference.

How does Slidell pay compare with the rest of Louisiana?

The Slidell median of $50,580 is 2% less than the Louisiana median of $51,700.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Slidell, LA

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Slidell–Mandeville–Covington, LA area earn a median of $50,580 a year, or $24.32 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $97,500. That's 2% less than the Louisiana median of $51,700.

Median yearly pay$50,580

Bottom 10% under$39,290Top 10% over$97,500

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.89/hr
Jobs in this area: 250
After cost of living: $54,550
Median hourly pay: $24.32/hr
vs U.S. median: −15%
vs Louisiana median: −2%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 43640, Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, 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	$39,290–$47,100$18.89–$22.64/hr
Experienced operator	$50,580$24.32/hr
Top earners	$66,310–$97,500$31.88–$46.88/hr

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

How Slidell, LA compares

Slidell ranks 4th of 10 Louisiana metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in the Slidell area than nationally: 2.5 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.82 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $97,500, is 2.5 times the 10th-percentile wage, $39,290: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Louisiana metro areas

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Slidell, LA?: Heavy equipment operators in the Slidell–Mandeville–Covington, LA area earn a median of $50,580 a year, or $24.32 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $97,500.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Slidell, LA?: The median hourly wage is $24.32. The middle half earn between $22.64 and $31.88 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Slidell, LA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.89 an hour ($39,290 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.64.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Slidell or New Orleans?: New Orleans pays more: the median is $50,580 in Slidell and $58,240 in New Orleans, a 13% difference.
How does Slidell pay compare with the rest of Louisiana?: The Slidell median of $50,580 is 2% 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 43640 (Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, 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 (92.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures