How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Flint, MI?

The median hourly wage is $36.12. The middle half earn between $28.71 and $37.70 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Flint, MI?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.36 an hour ($46,520 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $28.71.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Flint or South Bend?

South Bend pays more: the median is $75,140 in Flint and $80,460 in South Bend, a 7% difference.

How does Flint pay compare with the rest of Michigan?

The Flint median of $75,140 is 20% more than the Michigan median of $62,690.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Flint, MI

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Flint, MI area earn a median of $75,140 a year, or $36.12 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $90,020. Across all of Michigan, the median is $62,690, so Flint pays 20% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$75,140

Bottom 10% under$46,520Top 10% over$90,020

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $22.36/hr
Jobs in this area: 240
After cost of living: $80,770
Median hourly pay: $36.12/hr
vs U.S. median: +26%
vs Michigan median: +20%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 22420, Flint, MI). 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	$46,520–$59,710$22.36–$28.71/hr
Experienced operator	$75,140$36.12/hr
Top earners	$78,410–$90,020$37.70–$43.28/hr

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

How Flint, MI compares

Flint ranks 4th of 16 Michigan metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in the Flint area than nationally: 1.8 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.57 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $90,020, is 1.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $46,520: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Michigan metro areas

Other trades in Flint, MI

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic Roofer

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Flint, MI?: Heavy equipment operators in the Flint, MI area earn a median of $75,140 a year, or $36.12 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $90,020.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Flint, MI?: The median hourly wage is $36.12. The middle half earn between $28.71 and $37.70 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Flint, MI?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.36 an hour ($46,520 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $28.71.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Flint or South Bend?: South Bend pays more: the median is $75,140 in Flint and $80,460 in South Bend, a 7% difference.
How does Flint pay compare with the rest of Michigan?: The Flint median of $75,140 is 20% more than the Michigan median of $62,690.

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 22420 (Flint, MI). 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 (93.0, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures