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

The median hourly wage is $28.30. The middle half earn between $23.20 and $32.23 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

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

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.31 an hour ($44,320 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.20.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Lima or Columbus?

Columbus pays more: the median is $58,860 in Lima and $78,950 in Columbus, a 25% difference.

How does Lima pay compare with the rest of Ohio?

The Lima median of $58,860 is 9% less than the Ohio median of $64,940.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Lima, OH

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Lima, OH area earn a median of $58,860 a year, or $28.30 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $91,550 a year. Across all of Ohio, the median is $64,940, so Lima pays 9% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$58,860

Bottom 10% under$44,320Top 10% over$91,550

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $21.31/hr
Jobs in this area: 130
After cost of living: $65,640
Median hourly pay: $28.30/hr
vs U.S. median: −2%
vs Ohio median: −9%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 30620, Lima, 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	$44,320–$48,250$21.31–$23.20/hr
Experienced operator	$58,860$28.30/hr
Top earners	$67,040–$91,550$32.23–$44.01/hr

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

How Lima, OH compares

Lima ranks 11th of 15 Ohio metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in the Lima area than nationally: 2.7 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.87 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $91,550, is 2.1 times the 10th-percentile wage, $44,320: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Ohio metro areas

Other trades in Lima, OH

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic Millwright

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Lima, OH?: Heavy equipment operators in the Lima, OH area earn a median of $58,860 a year, or $28.30 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $91,550 a year.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Lima, OH?: The median hourly wage is $28.30. The middle half earn between $23.20 and $32.23 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Lima, OH?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.31 an hour ($44,320 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.20.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Lima or Columbus?: Columbus pays more: the median is $58,860 in Lima and $78,950 in Columbus, a 25% difference.
How does Lima pay compare with the rest of Ohio?: The Lima median of $58,860 is 9% 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 30620 (Lima, 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 (89.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures