How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Carson City, NV?

The median hourly wage is $31.16. The middle half earn between $29.41 and $36.28 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Carson City, NV?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.93 an hour ($49,780 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.41.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Carson City or Reno?

Reno pays more: the median is $64,820 in Carson City and $73,260 in Reno, a 12% difference.

How does Carson City pay compare with the rest of Nevada?

The Carson City median of $64,820 is 9% less than the Nevada median of $71,410.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Carson City, NV

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Carson City, NV area earn a median of $64,820 a year, or $31.16 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $79,170 a year. Statewide, heavy equipment operators earn a median of $71,410; Carson City is 9% below it.

Median yearly pay$64,820

Bottom 10% under$49,780Top 10% over$79,170

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $23.93/hr
Jobs in this area: 80
After cost of living: $66,060
Median hourly pay: $31.16/hr
vs U.S. median: +8%
vs Nevada median: −9%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 16180, Carson City, NV). 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	$49,780–$61,170$23.93–$29.41/hr
Experienced operator	$64,820$31.16/hr
Top earners	$75,450–$79,170$36.28–$38.06/hr

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

How Carson City, NV compares

Carson City ranks 2nd of 3 Nevada metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in the Carson City area than nationally: 2.6 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.85 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $79,170, is 1.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $49,780: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Nevada metro areas

Other trades in Carson City, NV

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Plumber Carpenter Auto mechanic

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Carson City, NV?: Heavy equipment operators in the Carson City, NV area earn a median of $64,820 a year, or $31.16 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $79,170 a year.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Carson City, NV?: The median hourly wage is $31.16. The middle half earn between $29.41 and $36.28 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Carson City, NV?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.93 an hour ($49,780 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.41.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Carson City or Reno?: Reno pays more: the median is $64,820 in Carson City and $73,260 in Reno, a 12% difference.
How does Carson City pay compare with the rest of Nevada?: The Carson City median of $64,820 is 9% less than the Nevada median of $71,410.

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 16180 (Carson City, NV). 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 (98.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures