How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in South Carolina?

The median hourly wage is $23.53. The middle half earn between $21.62 and $27.78 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in South Carolina?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.61 an hour ($38,720 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.62.

Where in South Carolina do heavy equipment operators earn the most?

Among South Carolina metro areas, Charlotte–Concord–Gastonia has the highest median at $50,870 a year, and Myrtle Beach–Conway–North Myrtle Beach the lowest at $47,000.

Do heavy equipment operators in South Carolina earn more than the national average?

The South Carolina median of $48,940 is 18% less than the U.S. median of $59,850. Prices in South Carolina run 6% below the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $52,200 would nationally.

Heavy equipment operator salary in South Carolina

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in South Carolina earn a median of $48,940 a year, or $23.53 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $64,330 a year. South Carolina ranks 46th of 51 states and DC for heavy equipment operator pay, at 18% less than the U.S. median of $59,850.

Median yearly pay$48,940

Bottom 10% under$38,720Top 10% over$64,330

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.61/hr
Jobs in South Carolina: 8,160
After cost of living: $52,200
Median hourly pay: $23.53/hr
vs U.S. median: −18%
Rank among states: 46th of 51

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 45). 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	$38,720–$44,960$18.61–$21.62/hr
Experienced operator	$48,940$23.53/hr
Top earners	$57,780–$64,330$27.78–$30.93/hr

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

Pay over time

The median heavy equipment operator wage in South Carolina rose 29.3%, from $37,840 in May 2021 to $48,940 in May 2025. Prices rose 19.4% over the same period, so after inflation it rose 8.3%.

Year	Median a year	Median an hour
May 2021	$37,840	$18.19/hr
May 2022	$41,170	$19.79/hr
May 2023	$46,380	$22.30/hr
May 2024	$47,480	$22.83/hr
May 2025	$48,940	$23.53/hr

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, each May release; inflation from the BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI-U, May of each year). BLS cautions against reading much into year-to-year changes, so we compare the first and last years. How we compare years

How South Carolina compares

Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in South Carolina than nationally: 3.5 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.1 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $64,330, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $38,720: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Pay by metro area

See all South Carolina metro areas

Rural South Carolina

Northeastern South Carolina$48,160
Southern South Carolina$46,850
Northwestern South Carolina$45,170

Other trades in South Carolina

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

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in South Carolina?: Heavy equipment operators in South Carolina earn a median of $48,940 a year, or $23.53 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $64,330 a year.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in South Carolina?: The median hourly wage is $23.53. The middle half earn between $21.62 and $27.78 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in South Carolina?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.61 an hour ($38,720 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.62.
Has heavy equipment operator pay gone up in South Carolina?: The median heavy equipment operator wage in South Carolina rose 29.3%, from $37,840 in May 2021 to $48,940 in May 2025. Prices rose 19.4% over the same period, so after inflation it rose 8.3%. (BLS wage data and Consumer Price Index.)
Where in South Carolina do heavy equipment operators earn the most?: Among South Carolina metro areas, Charlotte–Concord–Gastonia has the highest median at $50,870 a year, and Myrtle Beach–Conway–North Myrtle Beach the lowest at $47,000.
Do heavy equipment operators in South Carolina earn more than the national average?: The South Carolina median of $48,940 is 18% less than the U.S. median of $59,850. Prices in South Carolina run 6% below the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $52,200 would nationally.

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 45. 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 (93.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures