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

The median hourly wage is $35.22. The middle half earn between $30.08 and $39.09 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Reno, NV?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $26.35 an hour ($54,810 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $30.08.

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

Reno pays more: the median is $73,260 in Reno and $64,820 in Carson City, a 13% difference.

How does Reno pay compare with the rest of Nevada?

The Reno median of $73,260 is 3% more than the Nevada median of $71,410.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Reno, NV

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Reno, NV area earn a median of $73,260 a year, or $35.22 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $108,140. That's 3% more than the Nevada median of $71,410.

Median yearly pay$73,260

Bottom 10% under$54,810Top 10% over$108,140

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $26.35/hr
Jobs in this area: 1,290
After cost of living: $72,520
Median hourly pay: $35.22/hr
vs U.S. median: +22%
vs Nevada median: +3%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 39900, Reno, 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	$54,810–$62,560$26.35–$30.08/hr
Experienced operator	$73,260$35.22/hr
Top earners	$81,310–$108,140$39.09–$51.99/hr

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

How Reno, NV compares

Reno has the highest heavy equipment operator median of the 3 Nevada metro areas with published pay.
Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Reno area than nationally: 4.7 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.5 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $108,140, is 2.0 times the 10th-percentile wage, $54,810: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Nevada metro areas

Other trades in Reno, NV

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

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Reno, NV?: Heavy equipment operators in the Reno, NV area earn a median of $73,260 a year, or $35.22 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $108,140.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Reno, NV?: The median hourly wage is $35.22. The middle half earn between $30.08 and $39.09 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Reno, NV?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $26.35 an hour ($54,810 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $30.08.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Reno or Carson City?: Reno pays more: the median is $73,260 in Reno and $64,820 in Carson City, a 13% difference.
How does Reno pay compare with the rest of Nevada?: The Reno median of $73,260 is 3% more 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 39900 (Reno, 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 (101.0, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures