How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Rapid City, SD?

The median hourly wage is $29.16. The middle half earn between $25.29 and $30.59 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Rapid City, SD?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.38 an hour ($48,630 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $25.29.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Rapid City or Sioux Falls?

Pay is about the same: the median is $60,660 in Rapid City and $60,960 in Sioux Falls.

How does Rapid City pay compare with the rest of South Dakota?

The Rapid City median of $60,660 is 2% more than the South Dakota median of $59,500.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Rapid City, SD

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Rapid City, SD area earn a median of $60,660 a year, or $29.16 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $75,240 a year. That's 2% more than the South Dakota median of $59,500.

Median yearly pay$60,660

Bottom 10% under$48,630Top 10% over$75,240

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $23.38/hr
Jobs in this area: 410
After cost of living: $68,030
Median hourly pay: $29.16/hr
vs U.S. median: +1%
vs South Dakota median: +2%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 39660, Rapid City, SD). 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	$48,630–$52,610$23.38–$25.29/hr
Experienced operator	$60,660$29.16/hr
Top earners	$63,630–$75,240$30.59–$36.17/hr

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

How Rapid City, SD compares

Rapid City ranks 2nd of 3 South Dakota metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Rapid City area than nationally: 5.6 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.8 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $75,240, is 1.5 times the 10th-percentile wage, $48,630: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other South Dakota metro areas

Other trades in Rapid City, SD

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

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Rapid City, SD?: Heavy equipment operators in the Rapid City, SD area earn a median of $60,660 a year, or $29.16 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $75,240 a year.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Rapid City, SD?: The median hourly wage is $29.16. The middle half earn between $25.29 and $30.59 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Rapid City, SD?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.38 an hour ($48,630 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $25.29.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Rapid City or Sioux Falls?: Pay is about the same: the median is $60,660 in Rapid City and $60,960 in Sioux Falls.
How does Rapid City pay compare with the rest of South Dakota?: The Rapid City median of $60,660 is 2% more than the South Dakota median of $59,500.

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 39660 (Rapid City, SD). 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 (89.2, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures