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

The median hourly wage is $28.69. The middle half earn between $26.20 and $39.02 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

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

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.38 an hour ($44,460 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $26.20.

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

South Bend pays more: the median is $59,670 in Niles and $80,460 in South Bend, a 26% difference.

How does Niles pay compare with the rest of Michigan?

The Niles median of $59,670 is 5% less than the Michigan median of $62,690.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Niles, MI

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Niles, MI area earn a median of $59,670 a year, or $28.69 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $103,840. Across all of Michigan, the median is $62,690, so Niles pays 5% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$59,670

Bottom 10% under$44,460Top 10% over$103,840

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $21.38/hr
Jobs in this area: 130
After cost of living: $64,600
Median hourly pay: $28.69/hr
vs U.S. median: 0%
vs Michigan median: −5%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 35660, Niles, 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	$44,460–$54,500$21.38–$26.20/hr
Experienced operator	$59,670$28.69/hr
Top earners	$81,160–$103,840$39.02–$49.92/hr

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

How Niles, MI compares

Niles ranks 15th of 16 Michigan metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in the Niles area than nationally: 2.1 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.68 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $103,840, is 2.3 times the 10th-percentile wage, $44,460: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Michigan metro areas

Other trades in Niles, MI

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Lineman Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Niles, MI?: Heavy equipment operators in the Niles, MI area earn a median of $59,670 a year, or $28.69 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $103,840.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Niles, MI?: The median hourly wage is $28.69. The middle half earn between $26.20 and $39.02 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Niles, MI?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.38 an hour ($44,460 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $26.20.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Niles or South Bend?: South Bend pays more: the median is $59,670 in Niles and $80,460 in South Bend, a 26% difference.
How does Niles pay compare with the rest of Michigan?: The Niles median of $59,670 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 35660 (Niles, 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 (92.4, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures