Heavy equipment operator salary in Fayetteville, NC
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Heavy equipment operators in the Fayetteville, NC area earn a median of $48,390 a year, or $23.26 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $66,580. Across all of North Carolina, the median is $49,310, so Fayetteville pays 2% less than the state as a whole.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $19.18/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 440
- After cost of living
- $52,610
- Median hourly pay
- $23.26/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −19%
- vs North Carolina median
- −2%
Entry-level to top heavy equipment operator pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $39,900–$45,750$19.18–$21.99/hr | |
| Experienced operator | $48,390$23.26/hr | |
| Top earners | $59,210–$66,580$28.47–$32.01/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Fayetteville, NC compares
- Fayetteville ranks 9th of 16 North Carolina metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
- Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Fayetteville area than nationally: 3.4 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.1 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $66,580, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $39,900: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other North Carolina metro areas
Other trades in Fayetteville, NC
Questions
- How much do heavy equipment operators make in Fayetteville, NC?
- Heavy equipment operators in the Fayetteville, NC area earn a median of $48,390 a year, or $23.26 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $66,580.
- How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Fayetteville, NC?
- The median hourly wage is $23.26. The middle half earn between $21.99 and $28.47 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Fayetteville, NC?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.18 an hour ($39,900 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.99.
- Do heavy equipment operators make more in Fayetteville or Virginia Beach?
- Virginia Beach pays more: the median is $48,390 in Fayetteville and $52,060 in Virginia Beach, a 7% difference.
- How does Fayetteville pay compare with the rest of North Carolina?
- The Fayetteville median of $48,390 is 2% less than the North Carolina median of $49,310.
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 22180 (Fayetteville, NC). 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 (92.0, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures