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

The median hourly wage is $31.59. The middle half earn between $28.67 and $40.36 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

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

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $25.08 an hour ($52,170 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $28.67.

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

South Bend pays more: the median is $65,710 in Midland and $80,460 in South Bend, a 18% difference.

How does Midland pay compare with the rest of Michigan?

The Midland median of $65,710 is 5% more than the Michigan median of $62,690.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Midland, MI

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Midland, MI area earn a median of $65,710 a year, or $31.59 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $83,940. That's 5% more than the Michigan median of $62,690.

Median yearly pay$65,710

Bottom 10% under$52,170Top 10% over$83,940

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $25.08/hr
Jobs in this area: 120
After cost of living: $71,490
Median hourly pay: $31.59/hr
vs U.S. median: +10%
vs Michigan median: +5%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 33220, Midland, 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	$52,170–$59,640$25.08–$28.67/hr
Experienced operator	$65,710$31.59/hr
Top earners	$83,940–$83,940$40.36–$40.36/hr

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

How Midland, MI compares

Midland ranks 6th of 16 Michigan metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators hold about the same share of jobs in the Midland area as nationally: 3.3 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $83,940, is 1.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $52,170: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Michigan metro areas

Other trades in Midland, MI

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Plumber Carpenter Auto mechanic

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Midland, MI?: Heavy equipment operators in the Midland, MI area earn a median of $65,710 a year, or $31.59 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $83,940.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Midland, MI?: The median hourly wage is $31.59. The middle half earn between $28.67 and $40.36 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Midland, MI?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $25.08 an hour ($52,170 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $28.67.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Midland or South Bend?: South Bend pays more: the median is $65,710 in Midland and $80,460 in South Bend, a 18% difference.
How does Midland pay compare with the rest of Michigan?: The Midland median of $65,710 is 5% 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 33220 (Midland, 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 (91.9, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures