Heavy equipment operator salary in Las Cruces, NM
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Heavy equipment operators in the Las Cruces, NM area earn a median of $48,890 a year, or $23.51 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $60,730. That's 6% less than the New Mexico median of $52,000.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $18.45/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 440
- After cost of living
- $54,190
- Median hourly pay
- $23.51/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −18%
- vs New Mexico median
- −6%
Entry-level to top heavy equipment operator pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $38,380–$46,060$18.45–$22.15/hr | |
| Experienced operator | $48,890$23.51/hr | |
| Top earners | $60,730–$60,730$29.20–$29.20/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Las Cruces, NM compares
- Las Cruces has the lowest heavy equipment operator median of the 4 New Mexico metro areas with published pay.
- Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Las Cruces area than nationally: 5.5 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.8 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $60,730, is 1.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $38,380: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other New Mexico metro areas
Other trades in Las Cruces, NM
Questions
- How much do heavy equipment operators make in Las Cruces, NM?
- Heavy equipment operators in the Las Cruces, NM area earn a median of $48,890 a year, or $23.51 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $60,730.
- How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Las Cruces, NM?
- The median hourly wage is $23.51. The middle half earn between $22.15 and $29.20 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Las Cruces, NM?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.45 an hour ($38,380 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.15.
- Do heavy equipment operators make more in Las Cruces or Farmington?
- Farmington pays more: the median is $48,890 in Las Cruces and $55,180 in Farmington, a 11% difference.
- How does Las Cruces pay compare with the rest of New Mexico?
- The Las Cruces median of $48,890 is 6% less than the New Mexico median of $52,000.
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 29740 (Las Cruces, NM). 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 (90.2, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures