How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Albany, OR?

The median hourly wage is $32.73. The middle half earn between $28.65 and $38.93 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Albany, OR?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.58 an hour ($49,040 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $28.65.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Albany or Portland?

Portland pays more: the median is $68,080 in Albany and $79,040 in Portland, a 14% difference.

How does Albany pay compare with the rest of Oregon?

The Albany median of $68,080 is 7% less than the Oregon median of $73,430.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Albany, OR

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Albany, OR area earn a median of $68,080 a year, or $32.73 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $104,250. That's 7% less than the Oregon median of $73,430.

Median yearly pay$68,080

Bottom 10% under$49,040Top 10% over$104,250

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $23.58/hr
Jobs in this area: 150
After cost of living: $66,680
Median hourly pay: $32.73/hr
vs U.S. median: +14%
vs Oregon median: −7%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 10540, Albany, OR). 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	$49,040–$59,600$23.58–$28.65/hr
Experienced operator	$68,080$32.73/hr
Top earners	$80,970–$104,250$38.93–$50.12/hr

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

How Albany, OR compares

Albany ranks 3rd of 8 Oregon metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators hold about the same share of jobs in the Albany area as nationally: 3.2 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $104,250, is 2.1 times the 10th-percentile wage, $49,040: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Oregon metro areas

Other trades in Albany, OR

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

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Albany, OR?: Heavy equipment operators in the Albany, OR area earn a median of $68,080 a year, or $32.73 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $104,250.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Albany, OR?: The median hourly wage is $32.73. The middle half earn between $28.65 and $38.93 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Albany, OR?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.58 an hour ($49,040 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $28.65.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Albany or Portland?: Portland pays more: the median is $68,080 in Albany and $79,040 in Portland, a 14% difference.
How does Albany pay compare with the rest of Oregon?: The Albany median of $68,080 is 7% less than the Oregon median of $73,430.

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 10540 (Albany, OR). 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 (102.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures