Heavy equipment operator salary in Kansas City, MO-KS
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Heavy equipment operators in the Kansas City, MO-KS area earn a median of $64,060 a year, or $30.80 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $96,840 a year. Statewide, heavy equipment operators earn a median of $60,540; Kansas City is 6% above it.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $22.72/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 4,110
- After cost of living
- $69,220
- Median hourly pay
- $30.80/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +7%
- vs Missouri median
- +6%
Entry-level to top heavy equipment operator pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $47,250–$50,580$22.72–$24.32/hr | |
| Experienced operator | $64,060$30.80/hr | |
| Top earners | $89,580–$96,840$43.07–$46.56/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Kansas City, MO-KS compares
- Kansas City ranks 3rd of 8 Missouri metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
- Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Kansas City area than nationally: 3.7 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.2 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $96,840, is 2.0 times the 10th-percentile wage, $47,250: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Missouri metro areas
Other trades in Kansas City, MO-KS
Questions
- How much do heavy equipment operators make in Kansas City, MO-KS?
- Heavy equipment operators in the Kansas City, MO-KS area earn a median of $64,060 a year, or $30.80 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $96,840 a year.
- How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Kansas City, MO-KS?
- The median hourly wage is $30.80. The middle half earn between $24.32 and $43.07 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Kansas City, MO-KS?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.72 an hour ($47,250 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.32.
- Do heavy equipment operators make more in Kansas City or St. Louis?
- St. Louis pays more: the median is $64,060 in Kansas City and $82,270 in St. Louis, a 22% difference.
- How does Kansas City pay compare with the rest of Missouri?
- The Kansas City median of $64,060 is 6% more than the Missouri median of $60,540.
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 28140 (Kansas City, MO-KS). 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 (92.5, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures