How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Bangor, ME?

The median hourly wage is $25.00. The middle half earn between $22.23 and $28.94 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Bangor, ME?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.91 an hour ($43,500 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.23.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Bangor or Portland?

Portland pays more: the median is $52,000 in Bangor and $59,530 in Portland, a 13% difference.

How does Bangor pay compare with the rest of Maine?

The Bangor median of $52,000 is 7% less than the Maine median of $56,140.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Bangor, ME

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Bangor, ME area earn a median of $52,000 a year, or $25.00 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $65,090 a year. Across all of Maine, the median is $56,140, so Bangor pays 7% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$52,000

Bottom 10% under$43,500Top 10% over$65,090

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $20.91/hr
Jobs in this area: 310
After cost of living: $53,880
Median hourly pay: $25.00/hr
vs U.S. median: −13%
vs Maine median: −7%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 12620, Bangor, ME). 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	$43,500–$46,230$20.91–$22.23/hr
Experienced operator	$52,000$25.00/hr
Top earners	$60,200–$65,090$28.94–$31.30/hr

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

How Bangor, ME compares

Bangor has the lowest heavy equipment operator median of the 3 Maine metro areas with published pay.
Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Bangor area than nationally: 4.3 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.4 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $65,090, is 1.5 times the 10th-percentile wage, $43,500: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Maine metro areas

Other trades in Bangor, ME

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

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Bangor, ME?: Heavy equipment operators in the Bangor, ME area earn a median of $52,000 a year, or $25.00 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $65,090 a year.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Bangor, ME?: The median hourly wage is $25.00. The middle half earn between $22.23 and $28.94 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Bangor, ME?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.91 an hour ($43,500 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.23.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Bangor or Portland?: Portland pays more: the median is $52,000 in Bangor and $59,530 in Portland, a 13% difference.
How does Bangor pay compare with the rest of Maine?: The Bangor median of $52,000 is 7% less than the Maine median of $56,140.

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 12620 (Bangor, ME). 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 (96.5, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures