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

The median hourly wage is $28.78. The middle half earn between $25.89 and $43.31 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

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

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.21 an hour ($48,280 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $25.89.

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

South Bend pays more: the median is $59,860 in Jackson and $80,460 in South Bend, a 26% difference.

How does Jackson pay compare with the rest of Michigan?

The Jackson median of $59,860 is 5% less than the Michigan median of $62,690.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Jackson, MI

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Jackson, MI area earn a median of $59,860 a year, or $28.78 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $100,330 a year. Across all of Michigan, the median is $62,690, so Jackson pays 5% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$59,860

Bottom 10% under$48,280Top 10% over$100,330

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $23.21/hr
Jobs in this area: 160
After cost of living: $65,220
Median hourly pay: $28.78/hr
vs U.S. median: 0%
vs Michigan median: −5%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 27100, Jackson, 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	$48,280–$53,850$23.21–$25.89/hr
Experienced operator	$59,860$28.78/hr
Top earners	$90,080–$100,330$43.31–$48.23/hr

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

How Jackson, MI compares

Jackson ranks 13th of 16 Michigan metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators hold about the same share of jobs in the Jackson area as nationally: 2.9 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $100,330, is 2.1 times the 10th-percentile wage, $48,280: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Michigan metro areas

Other trades in Jackson, MI

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic Roofer

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Jackson, MI?: Heavy equipment operators in the Jackson, MI area earn a median of $59,860 a year, or $28.78 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $100,330 a year.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Jackson, MI?: The median hourly wage is $28.78. The middle half earn between $25.89 and $43.31 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Jackson, MI?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.21 an hour ($48,280 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $25.89.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Jackson or South Bend?: South Bend pays more: the median is $59,860 in Jackson and $80,460 in South Bend, a 26% difference.
How does Jackson pay compare with the rest of Michigan?: The Jackson median of $59,860 is 5% less 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 27100 (Jackson, 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 (91.8, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures