How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Cleveland, TN?

The median hourly wage is $23.18. The middle half earn between $21.89 and $27.00 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Cleveland, TN?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.56 an hour ($38,600 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.89.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Cleveland or Nashville?

Nashville pays more: the median is $48,210 in Cleveland and $56,030 in Nashville, a 14% difference.

How does Cleveland pay compare with the rest of Tennessee?

The Cleveland median of $48,210 is 7% less than the Tennessee median of $52,000.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Cleveland, TN

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Cleveland, TN area earn a median of $48,210 a year, or $23.18 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $64,600. Statewide, heavy equipment operators earn a median of $52,000; Cleveland is 7% below it.

Median yearly pay$48,210

Bottom 10% under$38,600Top 10% over$64,600

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.56/hr
Jobs in this area: 160
After cost of living: $54,730
Median hourly pay: $23.18/hr
vs U.S. median: −19%
vs Tennessee median: −7%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 17420, Cleveland, TN). 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	$38,600–$45,540$18.56–$21.89/hr
Experienced operator	$48,210$23.18/hr
Top earners	$56,160–$64,600$27.00–$31.06/hr

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

How Cleveland, TN compares

Cleveland ranks 7th of 10 Tennessee metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Cleveland area than nationally: 3.7 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.2 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $64,600, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $38,600: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Tennessee metro areas

Other trades in Cleveland, TN

Electrician Welder Lineman Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Cleveland, TN?: Heavy equipment operators in the Cleveland, TN area earn a median of $48,210 a year, or $23.18 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $64,600.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Cleveland, TN?: The median hourly wage is $23.18. The middle half earn between $21.89 and $27.00 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Cleveland, TN?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.56 an hour ($38,600 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.89.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Cleveland or Nashville?: Nashville pays more: the median is $48,210 in Cleveland and $56,030 in Nashville, a 14% difference.
How does Cleveland pay compare with the rest of Tennessee?: The Cleveland median of $48,210 is 7% less than the Tennessee median of $52,000.

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 17420 (Cleveland, TN). 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 (88.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures