How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Missoula, MT?

The median hourly wage is $30.79. The middle half earn between $27.85 and $34.50 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Missoula, MT?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.61 an hour ($47,040 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $27.85.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Missoula or Bozeman?

Bozeman pays more: the median is $64,050 in Missoula and $68,160 in Bozeman, a 6% difference.

How does Missoula pay compare with the rest of Montana?

The Missoula median of $64,050 is 4% more than the Montana median of $61,580.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Missoula, MT

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Missoula, MT area earn a median of $64,050 a year, or $30.79 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $79,210. Across all of Montana, the median is $61,580, so Missoula pays 4% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$64,050

Bottom 10% under$47,040Top 10% over$79,210

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $22.61/hr
Jobs in this area: 310
After cost of living: $66,410
Median hourly pay: $30.79/hr
vs U.S. median: +7%
vs Montana median: +4%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 33540, Missoula, MT). 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	$47,040–$57,930$22.61–$27.85/hr
Experienced operator	$64,050$30.79/hr
Top earners	$71,750–$79,210$34.50–$38.08/hr

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

How Missoula, MT compares

Missoula ranks 2nd of 5 Montana metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Missoula area than nationally: 4.6 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.5 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $79,210, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $47,040: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Montana metro areas

Other trades in Missoula, MT

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic Roofer

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Missoula, MT?: Heavy equipment operators in the Missoula, MT area earn a median of $64,050 a year, or $30.79 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $79,210.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Missoula, MT?: The median hourly wage is $30.79. The middle half earn between $27.85 and $34.50 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Missoula, MT?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.61 an hour ($47,040 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $27.85.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Missoula or Bozeman?: Bozeman pays more: the median is $64,050 in Missoula and $68,160 in Bozeman, a 6% difference.
How does Missoula pay compare with the rest of Montana?: The Missoula median of $64,050 is 4% more than the Montana median of $61,580.

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 33540 (Missoula, MT). 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 (96.4, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures