How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Omaha, NE-IA?

The median hourly wage is $28.86. The middle half earn between $24.14 and $31.54 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Omaha, NE-IA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.54 an hour ($46,870 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.14.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Omaha or Lincoln?

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

How does Omaha pay compare with the rest of Nebraska?

The Omaha median of $60,020 is 3% more than the Nebraska median of $58,360.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Omaha, NE-IA

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Omaha, NE-IA area earn a median of $60,020 a year, or $28.86 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $77,920. That's 3% more than the Nebraska median of $58,360.

Median yearly pay$60,020

Bottom 10% under$46,870Top 10% over$77,920

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $22.54/hr
Jobs in this area: 1,380
After cost of living: $65,300
Median hourly pay: $28.86/hr
vs U.S. median: 0%
vs Nebraska median: +3%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 36540, Omaha, NE-IA). 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	$46,870–$50,200$22.54–$24.14/hr
Experienced operator	$60,020$28.86/hr
Top earners	$65,600–$77,920$31.54–$37.46/hr

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

How Omaha, NE-IA compares

Omaha ranks 2nd of 4 Nebraska metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in the Omaha area than nationally: 2.8 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.90 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $77,920, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $46,870: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Nebraska metro areas

Other trades in Omaha, NE-IA

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

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Omaha, NE-IA?: Heavy equipment operators in the Omaha, NE-IA area earn a median of $60,020 a year, or $28.86 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $77,920.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Omaha, NE-IA?: The median hourly wage is $28.86. The middle half earn between $24.14 and $31.54 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Omaha, NE-IA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.54 an hour ($46,870 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.14.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Omaha or Lincoln?: Lincoln pays more: the median is $60,020 in Omaha and $60,810 in Lincoln, a 1% difference.
How does Omaha pay compare with the rest of Nebraska?: The Omaha median of $60,020 is 3% 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 36540 (Omaha, NE-IA). 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 (91.9, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures