How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Mankato, MN?

The median hourly wage is $37.77. The middle half earn between $30.33 and $42.37 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Mankato, MN?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $24.52 an hour ($51,010 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $30.33.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Mankato or Minneapolis?

Minneapolis pays more: the median is $78,560 in Mankato and $83,340 in Minneapolis, a 6% difference.

How does Mankato pay compare with the rest of Minnesota?

The Mankato median of $78,560 is 1% less than the Minnesota median of $79,130.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Mankato, MN

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Mankato, MN area earn a median of $78,560 a year, or $37.77 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $91,730. That's 1% less than the Minnesota median of $79,130.

Median yearly pay$78,560

Bottom 10% under$51,010Top 10% over$91,730

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $24.52/hr
Jobs in this area: 150
After cost of living: $86,370
Median hourly pay: $37.77/hr
vs U.S. median: +31%
vs Minnesota median: −1%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 31860, Mankato, MN). 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	$51,010–$63,090$24.52–$30.33/hr
Experienced operator	$78,560$37.77/hr
Top earners	$88,140–$91,730$42.37–$44.10/hr

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

How Mankato, MN compares

Mankato ranks 4th of 9 Minnesota metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in the Mankato area than nationally: 2.7 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.87 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $91,730, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $51,010: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Minnesota metro areas

Other trades in Mankato, MN

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Mankato, MN?: Heavy equipment operators in the Mankato, MN area earn a median of $78,560 a year, or $37.77 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $91,730.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Mankato, MN?: The median hourly wage is $37.77. The middle half earn between $30.33 and $42.37 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Mankato, MN?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $24.52 an hour ($51,010 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $30.33.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Mankato or Minneapolis?: Minneapolis pays more: the median is $78,560 in Mankato and $83,340 in Minneapolis, a 6% difference.
How does Mankato pay compare with the rest of Minnesota?: The Mankato median of $78,560 is 1% less than the Minnesota median of $79,130.

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 31860 (Mankato, MN). 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 (91.0, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures