Heavy equipment operator salary in Portland, ME
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Heavy equipment operators in the Portland–South Portland, ME area earn a median of $59,530 a year, or $28.62 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $77,340. Across all of Maine, the median is $56,140, so Portland pays 6% more than the state as a whole.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $23.73/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 880
- After cost of living
- $58,440
- Median hourly pay
- $28.62/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −1%
- vs Maine median
- +6%
Entry-level to top heavy equipment operator pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $49,350–$52,000$23.73–$25.00/hr | |
| Experienced operator | $59,530$28.62/hr | |
| Top earners | $64,140–$77,340$30.84–$37.18/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Portland, ME compares
- Portland has the highest heavy equipment operator median of the 3 Maine metro areas with published pay.
- Heavy equipment operators hold about the same share of jobs in the Portland area as nationally: 3.1 of every 1,000 jobs.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $77,340, is 1.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $49,350: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Maine metro areas
Other trades in Portland, ME
Questions
- How much do heavy equipment operators make in Portland, ME?
- Heavy equipment operators in the Portland–South Portland, ME area earn a median of $59,530 a year, or $28.62 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $77,340.
- How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Portland, ME?
- The median hourly wage is $28.62. The middle half earn between $25.00 and $30.84 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Portland, ME?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.73 an hour ($49,350 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $25.00.
- Do heavy equipment operators make more in Portland or Lewiston?
- Portland pays more: the median is $59,530 in Portland and $56,140 in Lewiston, a 6% difference.
- How does Portland pay compare with the rest of Maine?
- The Portland median of $59,530 is 6% more 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 38860 (Portland-South Portland, 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 (101.9, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures