How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Lincoln, NE?

The median hourly wage is $29.24. The middle half earn between $24.86 and $30.19 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Lincoln, NE?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.91 an hour ($45,570 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.86.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Lincoln or Omaha?

Lincoln pays more: the median is $60,810 in Lincoln and $60,020 in Omaha, a 1% difference.

How does Lincoln pay compare with the rest of Nebraska?

The Lincoln median of $60,810 is 4% more than the Nebraska median of $58,360.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Lincoln, NE

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Lincoln, NE area earn a median of $60,810 a year, or $29.24 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $73,350. Across all of Nebraska, the median is $58,360, so Lincoln pays 4% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$60,810

Bottom 10% under$45,570Top 10% over$73,350

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $21.91/hr
Jobs in this area: 490
After cost of living: $66,400
Median hourly pay: $29.24/hr
vs U.S. median: +2%
vs Nebraska median: +4%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 30700, Lincoln, NE). 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	$45,570–$51,710$21.91–$24.86/hr
Experienced operator	$60,810$29.24/hr
Top earners	$62,800–$73,350$30.19–$35.26/hr

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

How Lincoln, NE compares

Lincoln has the highest heavy equipment operator median of the 4 Nebraska metro areas with published pay.
Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in the Lincoln area than nationally: 2.7 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.87 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $73,350, is 1.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $45,570: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Nebraska metro areas

Other trades in Lincoln, NE

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Lineman Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic Roofer Ironworker

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Lincoln, NE?: Heavy equipment operators in the Lincoln, NE area earn a median of $60,810 a year, or $29.24 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $73,350.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Lincoln, NE?: The median hourly wage is $29.24. The middle half earn between $24.86 and $30.19 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Lincoln, NE?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.91 an hour ($45,570 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.86.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Lincoln or Omaha?: Lincoln pays more: the median is $60,810 in Lincoln and $60,020 in Omaha, a 1% difference.
How does Lincoln pay compare with the rest of Nebraska?: The Lincoln median of $60,810 is 4% more than the Nebraska median of $58,360.

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 30700 (Lincoln, NE). 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 (91.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures