Heavy equipment operator salary in Chambersburg, PA
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Heavy equipment operators in the Chambersburg, PA area earn a median of $58,800 a year, or $28.27 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $74,600. That's 3% less than the Pennsylvania median of $60,530.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $21.74/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 280
- After cost of living
- $62,130
- Median hourly pay
- $28.27/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −2%
- vs Pennsylvania median
- −3%
Entry-level to top heavy equipment operator pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $45,220–$50,790$21.74–$24.42/hr | |
| Experienced operator | $58,800$28.27/hr | |
| Top earners | $62,130–$74,600$29.87–$35.86/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Chambersburg, PA compares
- Chambersburg ranks 9th of 16 Pennsylvania metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
- Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Chambersburg area than nationally: 4.7 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.5 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $74,600, is 1.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $45,220: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Pennsylvania metro areas
Other trades in Chambersburg, PA
Questions
- How much do heavy equipment operators make in Chambersburg, PA?
- Heavy equipment operators in the Chambersburg, PA area earn a median of $58,800 a year, or $28.27 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $74,600.
- How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Chambersburg, PA?
- The median hourly wage is $28.27. The middle half earn between $24.42 and $29.87 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Chambersburg, PA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.74 an hour ($45,220 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.42.
- Do heavy equipment operators make more in Chambersburg or Philadelphia?
- Philadelphia pays more: the median is $58,800 in Chambersburg and $66,810 in Philadelphia, a 12% difference.
- How does Chambersburg pay compare with the rest of Pennsylvania?
- The Chambersburg median of $58,800 is 3% less than the Pennsylvania median of $60,530.
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 16540 (Chambersburg, PA). 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 (94.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures