How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Buffalo, NY?

The median hourly wage is $35.41. The middle half earn between $27.62 and $44.52 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Buffalo, NY?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.64 an hour ($49,170 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $27.62.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Buffalo or New York?

New York pays more: the median is $73,650 in Buffalo and $95,050 in New York, a 23% difference.

How does Buffalo pay compare with the rest of New York?

The Buffalo median of $73,650 is 9% less than the New York median of $80,980.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Buffalo, NY

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Buffalo–Cheektowaga, NY area earn a median of $73,650 a year, or $35.41 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $114,540. That's 9% less than the New York median of $80,980.

Median yearly pay$73,650

Bottom 10% under$49,170Top 10% over$114,540

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $23.64/hr
Jobs in this area: 950
After cost of living: $76,840
Median hourly pay: $35.41/hr
vs U.S. median: +23%
vs New York median: −9%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 15380, Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY). 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	$49,170–$57,450$23.64–$27.62/hr
Experienced operator	$73,650$35.41/hr
Top earners	$92,600–$114,540$44.52–$55.07/hr

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

How Buffalo, NY compares

Buffalo ranks 3rd of 13 New York metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in the Buffalo area than nationally: 1.8 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.58 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $114,540, is 2.3 times the 10th-percentile wage, $49,170: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other New York metro areas

Other trades in Buffalo, NY

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

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Buffalo, NY?: Heavy equipment operators in the Buffalo–Cheektowaga, NY area earn a median of $73,650 a year, or $35.41 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $114,540.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Buffalo, NY?: The median hourly wage is $35.41. The middle half earn between $27.62 and $44.52 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Buffalo, NY?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.64 an hour ($49,170 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $27.62.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Buffalo or New York?: New York pays more: the median is $73,650 in Buffalo and $95,050 in New York, a 23% difference.
How does Buffalo pay compare with the rest of New York?: The Buffalo median of $73,650 is 9% less than the New York median of $80,980.

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 15380 (Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY). 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 (95.8, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures