How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Akron, OH?

The median hourly wage is $30.73. The middle half earn between $25.42 and $44.95 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Akron, OH?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.45 an hour ($46,700 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $25.42.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Akron or Columbus?

Columbus pays more: the median is $63,920 in Akron and $78,950 in Columbus, a 19% difference.

How does Akron pay compare with the rest of Ohio?

The Akron median of $63,920 is 2% less than the Ohio median of $64,940.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Akron, OH

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Akron, OH area earn a median of $63,920 a year, or $30.73 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $98,500. Across all of Ohio, the median is $64,940, so Akron pays 2% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$63,920

Bottom 10% under$46,700Top 10% over$98,500

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $22.45/hr
Jobs in this area: 830
After cost of living: $68,460
Median hourly pay: $30.73/hr
vs U.S. median: +7%
vs Ohio median: −2%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 10420, Akron, OH). 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	$46,700–$52,870$22.45–$25.42/hr
Experienced operator	$63,920$30.73/hr
Top earners	$93,500–$98,500$44.95–$47.36/hr

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

How Akron, OH compares

Akron ranks 7th of 15 Ohio metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in the Akron area than nationally: 2.6 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.84 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $98,500, is 2.1 times the 10th-percentile wage, $46,700: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Ohio metro areas

Other trades in Akron, OH

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

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Akron, OH?: Heavy equipment operators in the Akron, OH area earn a median of $63,920 a year, or $30.73 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $98,500.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Akron, OH?: The median hourly wage is $30.73. The middle half earn between $25.42 and $44.95 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Akron, OH?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.45 an hour ($46,700 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $25.42.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Akron or Columbus?: Columbus pays more: the median is $63,920 in Akron and $78,950 in Columbus, a 19% difference.
How does Akron pay compare with the rest of Ohio?: The Akron median of $63,920 is 2% less than the Ohio median of $64,940.

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 10420 (Akron, OH). 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 (93.4, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures