How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Providence, RI-MA?

The median hourly wage is $33.61. The middle half earn between $29.92 and $40.30 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Providence, RI-MA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $25.22 an hour ($52,470 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.92.

How does Providence pay compare with the rest of Rhode Island?

The Providence median of $69,900 is 10% more than the Rhode Island median of $63,610.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Providence, RI-MA

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Providence–Warwick, RI-MA area earn a median of $69,900 a year, or $33.61 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $105,000. Statewide, heavy equipment operators earn a median of $63,610; Providence is 10% above it.

Median yearly pay$69,900

Bottom 10% under$52,470Top 10% over$105,000

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $25.22/hr
Jobs in this area: 1,570
After cost of living: $68,680
Median hourly pay: $33.61/hr
vs U.S. median: +17%
vs Rhode Island median: +10%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 39300, Providence-Warwick, RI-MA). 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	$52,470–$62,220$25.22–$29.92/hr
Experienced operator	$69,900$33.61/hr
Top earners	$83,820–$105,000$40.30–$50.48/hr

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

How Providence, RI-MA compares

Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in the Providence area than nationally: 2.2 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.72 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $105,000, is 2.0 times the 10th-percentile wage, $52,470: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other trades in Providence, RI-MA

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

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Providence, RI-MA?: Heavy equipment operators in the Providence–Warwick, RI-MA area earn a median of $69,900 a year, or $33.61 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $105,000.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Providence, RI-MA?: The median hourly wage is $33.61. The middle half earn between $29.92 and $40.30 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Providence, RI-MA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $25.22 an hour ($52,470 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.92.
How does Providence pay compare with the rest of Rhode Island?: The Providence median of $69,900 is 10% more than the Rhode Island median of $63,610.

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 39300 (Providence-Warwick, RI-MA). 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 (101.8, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures