Heavy equipment operator salary in New Jersey
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Heavy equipment operators in New Jersey earn a median of $89,660 a year, or $43.11 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $133,330. Nationally the median is $59,850, so New Jersey pays 50% more than the U.S. overall and ranks 3rd of 51.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $24.41/hr
- Jobs in New Jersey
- 5,980
- After cost of living
- $82,400
- Median hourly pay
- $43.11/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +50%
- Rank among states
- 3rd of 51
Entry-level to top heavy equipment operator pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $50,760–$64,100$24.41–$30.82/hr | |
| Experienced operator | $89,660$43.11/hr | |
| Top earners | $126,330–$133,330$60.74–$64.10/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
Pay over time
The median heavy equipment operator wage in New Jersey rose 14.2%, from $78,480 in May 2021 to $89,660 in May 2025. Prices rose 19.4% over the same period, so after inflation it fell 4.3%.
| Year | Median a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $78,480 | $37.73/hr |
| May 2022 | $77,780 | $37.40/hr |
| May 2023 | $81,580 | $39.22/hr |
| May 2024 | $84,170 | $40.47/hr |
| May 2025 | $89,660 | $43.11/hr |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, each May release; inflation from the BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI-U, May of each year). BLS cautions against reading much into year-to-year changes, so we compare the first and last years. How we compare years
How New Jersey compares
- Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in New Jersey than nationally: 1.4 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.45 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $133,330, is 2.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $50,760: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Pay by metro area
Other trades in New Jersey
Questions
- How much do heavy equipment operators make in New Jersey?
- Heavy equipment operators in New Jersey earn a median of $89,660 a year, or $43.11 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $133,330.
- How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in New Jersey?
- The median hourly wage is $43.11. The middle half earn between $30.82 and $60.74 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in New Jersey?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $24.41 an hour ($50,760 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $30.82.
- Has heavy equipment operator pay gone up in New Jersey?
- The median heavy equipment operator wage in New Jersey rose 14.2%, from $78,480 in May 2021 to $89,660 in May 2025. Prices rose 19.4% over the same period, so after inflation it fell 4.3%. (BLS wage data and Consumer Price Index.)
- Where in New Jersey do heavy equipment operators earn the most?
- Among New Jersey metro areas, New York–Newark–Jersey City has the highest median at $95,050 a year, and Allentown–Bethlehem–Easton the lowest at $63,050.
- Do heavy equipment operators in New Jersey earn more than the national average?
- The New Jersey median of $89,660 is 50% more than the U.S. median of $59,850. Prices in New Jersey run 9% above the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $82,400 would nationally.
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 34. 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 (108.8, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures