How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Manchester, NH?

The median hourly wage is $29.02. The middle half earn between $25.00 and $33.38 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Manchester, NH?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.67 an hour ($49,230 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $25.00.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Manchester or Boston?

Boston pays more: the median is $60,370 in Manchester and $76,940 in Boston, a 22% difference.

How does Manchester pay compare with the rest of New Hampshire?

The Manchester median of $60,370 is 3% less than the New Hampshire median of $62,200.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Manchester, NH

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Manchester–Nashua, NH area earn a median of $60,370 a year, or $29.02 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $88,690. Statewide, heavy equipment operators earn a median of $62,200; Manchester is 3% below it.

Median yearly pay$60,370

Bottom 10% under$49,230Top 10% over$88,690

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $23.67/hr
Jobs in this area: 210
After cost of living: $57,140
Median hourly pay: $29.02/hr
vs U.S. median: +1%
vs New Hampshire median: −3%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 31700, Manchester-Nashua, NH). 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	$49,230–$52,000$23.67–$25.00/hr
Experienced operator	$60,370$29.02/hr
Top earners	$69,420–$88,690$33.38–$42.64/hr

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

How Manchester, NH compares

Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in the Manchester area than nationally: 1.0 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.34 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $88,690, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $49,230: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other New Hampshire metro areas

Boston–Cambridge–Newton$76,940

Other trades in Manchester, NH

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

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Manchester, NH?: Heavy equipment operators in the Manchester–Nashua, NH area earn a median of $60,370 a year, or $29.02 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $88,690.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Manchester, NH?: The median hourly wage is $29.02. The middle half earn between $25.00 and $33.38 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Manchester, NH?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.67 an hour ($49,230 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $25.00.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Manchester or Boston?: Boston pays more: the median is $60,370 in Manchester and $76,940 in Boston, a 22% difference.
How does Manchester pay compare with the rest of New Hampshire?: The Manchester median of $60,370 is 3% less than the New Hampshire median of $62,200.

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 31700 (Manchester-Nashua, NH). 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 (105.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures