Heavy equipment operator salary in Las Vegas, NV
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Heavy equipment operators in the Las Vegas–Henderson–North Las Vegas, NV area earn a median of $63,910 a year, or $30.73 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $121,480. That's 11% less than the Nevada median of $71,410.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $23.47/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 2,460
- After cost of living
- $63,770
- Median hourly pay
- $30.73/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +7%
- vs Nevada median
- −11%
Entry-level to top heavy equipment operator pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $48,820–$57,370$23.47–$27.58/hr | |
| Experienced operator | $63,910$30.73/hr | |
| Top earners | $80,910–$121,480$38.90–$58.40/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Las Vegas, NV compares
- Las Vegas has the lowest heavy equipment operator median of the 3 Nevada metro areas with published pay.
- Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in the Las Vegas area than nationally: 2.2 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.70 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $121,480, is 2.5 times the 10th-percentile wage, $48,820: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Nevada metro areas
Other trades in Las Vegas, NV
Questions
- How much do heavy equipment operators make in Las Vegas, NV?
- Heavy equipment operators in the Las Vegas–Henderson–North Las Vegas, NV area earn a median of $63,910 a year, or $30.73 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $121,480.
- How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Las Vegas, NV?
- The median hourly wage is $30.73. The middle half earn between $27.58 and $38.90 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Las Vegas, NV?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.47 an hour ($48,820 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $27.58.
- Do heavy equipment operators make more in Las Vegas or Reno?
- Reno pays more: the median is $63,910 in Las Vegas and $73,260 in Reno, a 13% difference.
- How does Las Vegas pay compare with the rest of Nevada?
- The Las Vegas median of $63,910 is 11% 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 29820 (Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, 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 (100.2, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures