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

The median hourly wage is $35.71. The middle half earn between $29.63 and $45.45 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

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

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $27.16 an hour ($56,490 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.63.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Salem or Portland?

Portland pays more: the median is $74,270 in Salem and $79,040 in Portland, a 6% difference.

How does Salem pay compare with the rest of Oregon?

The Salem median of $74,270 is 1% more than the Oregon median of $73,430.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Salem, OR

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Salem, OR area earn a median of $74,270 a year, or $35.71 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $117,310. Across all of Oregon, the median is $73,430, so Salem pays 1% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$74,270

Bottom 10% under$56,490Top 10% over$117,310

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $27.16/hr
Jobs in this area: 750
After cost of living: $71,660
Median hourly pay: $35.71/hr
vs U.S. median: +24%
vs Oregon median: +1%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 41420, Salem, 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	$56,490–$61,620$27.16–$29.63/hr
Experienced operator	$74,270$35.71/hr
Top earners	$94,540–$117,310$45.45–$56.40/hr

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

How Salem, OR compares

Salem ranks 2nd of 8 Oregon metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Salem area than nationally: 4.0 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.3 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $117,310, is 2.1 times the 10th-percentile wage, $56,490: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Oregon metro areas

Other trades in Salem, OR

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

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Salem, OR?: Heavy equipment operators in the Salem, OR area earn a median of $74,270 a year, or $35.71 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $117,310.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Salem, OR?: The median hourly wage is $35.71. The middle half earn between $29.63 and $45.45 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Salem, OR?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $27.16 an hour ($56,490 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.63.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Salem or Portland?: Portland pays more: the median is $74,270 in Salem and $79,040 in Portland, a 6% difference.
How does Salem pay compare with the rest of Oregon?: The Salem median of $74,270 is 1% more 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 41420 (Salem, 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 (103.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures