Heavy equipment operator salary in Syracuse, NY
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Heavy equipment operators in the Syracuse, NY area earn a median of $63,810 a year, or $30.68 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $121,270. Across all of New York, the median is $80,980, so Syracuse pays 21% less than the state as a whole.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $23.74/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 700
- After cost of living
- $66,650
- Median hourly pay
- $30.68/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +7%
- vs New York median
- −21%
Entry-level to top heavy equipment operator pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $49,370–$55,480$23.74–$26.67/hr | |
| Experienced operator | $63,810$30.68/hr | |
| Top earners | $105,360–$121,270$50.65–$58.30/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Syracuse, NY compares
- Syracuse ranks 8th of 13 New York metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
- Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in the Syracuse area than nationally: 2.3 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.76 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $121,270, is 2.5 times the 10th-percentile wage, $49,370: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other New York metro areas
Other trades in Syracuse, NY
Questions
- How much do heavy equipment operators make in Syracuse, NY?
- Heavy equipment operators in the Syracuse, NY area earn a median of $63,810 a year, or $30.68 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $121,270.
- How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Syracuse, NY?
- The median hourly wage is $30.68. The middle half earn between $26.67 and $50.65 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Syracuse, NY?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.74 an hour ($49,370 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $26.67.
- Do heavy equipment operators make more in Syracuse or New York?
- New York pays more: the median is $63,810 in Syracuse and $95,050 in New York, a 33% difference.
- How does Syracuse pay compare with the rest of New York?
- The Syracuse median of $63,810 is 21% 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 45060 (Syracuse, 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 (95.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures