Heavy equipment operator salary in Grand Forks, ND-MN
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Heavy equipment operators in the Grand Forks, ND-MN area earn a median of $61,520 a year, or $29.58 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $95,570. That's 1% less than the North Dakota median of $62,150.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $23.56/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 370
- After cost of living
- $70,990
- Median hourly pay
- $29.58/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +3%
- vs North Dakota median
- −1%
Entry-level to top heavy equipment operator pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $49,000–$58,180$23.56–$27.97/hr | |
| Experienced operator | $61,520$29.58/hr | |
| Top earners | $73,020–$95,570$35.11–$45.95/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Grand Forks, ND-MN compares
- Grand Forks has the lowest heavy equipment operator median of the 4 North Dakota metro areas with published pay.
- Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Grand Forks area than nationally: 7.0 of every 1,000 jobs, 2.3 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $95,570, is 2.0 times the 10th-percentile wage, $49,000: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other North Dakota metro areas
Other trades in Grand Forks, ND-MN
Questions
- How much do heavy equipment operators make in Grand Forks, ND-MN?
- Heavy equipment operators in the Grand Forks, ND-MN area earn a median of $61,520 a year, or $29.58 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $95,570.
- How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Grand Forks, ND-MN?
- The median hourly wage is $29.58. The middle half earn between $27.97 and $35.11 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Grand Forks, ND-MN?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.56 an hour ($49,000 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $27.97.
- Do heavy equipment operators make more in Grand Forks or Minot?
- Minot pays more: the median is $61,520 in Grand Forks and $62,990 in Minot, a 2% difference.
- How does Grand Forks pay compare with the rest of North Dakota?
- The Grand Forks median of $61,520 is 1% less than the North Dakota median of $62,150.
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 24220 (Grand Forks, ND-MN). 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 (86.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures