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

The median hourly wage is $31.62. The middle half earn between $24.62 and $40.34 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

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

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.79 an hour ($37,010 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.62.

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

New York pays more: the median is $65,760 in Elmira and $95,050 in New York, a 31% difference.

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

The Elmira median of $65,760 is 19% less than the New York median of $80,980.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Elmira, NY

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Elmira, NY area earn a median of $65,760 a year, or $31.62 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $117,790 a year. That's 19% less than the New York median of $80,980.

Median yearly pay$65,760

Bottom 10% under$37,010Top 10% over$117,790

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $17.79/hr
Jobs in this area: 70
After cost of living: $69,660
Median hourly pay: $31.62/hr
vs U.S. median: +10%
vs New York median: −19%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 21300, Elmira, 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	$37,010–$51,220$17.79–$24.62/hr
Experienced operator	$65,760$31.62/hr
Top earners	$83,900–$117,790$40.34–$56.63/hr

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

How Elmira, NY compares

Elmira ranks 6th of 13 New York metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in the Elmira area than nationally: 2.2 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.70 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $117,790, is 3.2 times the 10th-percentile wage, $37,010: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other New York metro areas

Other trades in Elmira, NY

HVAC technician Welder Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic Roofer

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Elmira, NY?: Heavy equipment operators in the Elmira, NY area earn a median of $65,760 a year, or $31.62 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $117,790 a year.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Elmira, NY?: The median hourly wage is $31.62. The middle half earn between $24.62 and $40.34 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Elmira, NY?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.79 an hour ($37,010 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.62.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Elmira or New York?: New York pays more: the median is $65,760 in Elmira and $95,050 in New York, a 31% difference.
How does Elmira pay compare with the rest of New York?: The Elmira median of $65,760 is 19% 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 21300 (Elmira, 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 (94.4, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures