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

The median hourly wage is $22.71. The middle half earn between $19.65 and $26.72 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

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

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.26 an hour ($37,990 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $19.65.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Jackson or Nashville?

Nashville pays more: the median is $47,240 in Jackson and $56,030 in Nashville, a 16% difference.

How does Jackson pay compare with the rest of Tennessee?

The Jackson median of $47,240 is 9% less than the Tennessee median of $52,000.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Jackson, TN

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Jackson, TN area earn a median of $47,240 a year, or $22.71 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $64,270. That's 9% less than the Tennessee median of $52,000.

Median yearly pay$47,240

Bottom 10% under$37,990Top 10% over$64,270

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.26/hr
Jobs in this area: 270
After cost of living: $55,240
Median hourly pay: $22.71/hr
vs U.S. median: −21%
vs Tennessee median: −9%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 27180, Jackson, 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	$37,990–$40,870$18.26–$19.65/hr
Experienced operator	$47,240$22.71/hr
Top earners	$55,570–$64,270$26.72–$30.90/hr

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

How Jackson, TN compares

Jackson has the lowest heavy equipment operator median of the 10 Tennessee metro areas with published pay.
Heavy equipment operators hold about the same share of jobs in the Jackson area as nationally: 3.2 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $64,270, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $37,990: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Tennessee metro areas

Other trades in Jackson, TN

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Lineman Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Jackson, TN?: Heavy equipment operators in the Jackson, TN area earn a median of $47,240 a year, or $22.71 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $64,270.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Jackson, TN?: The median hourly wage is $22.71. The middle half earn between $19.65 and $26.72 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Jackson, TN?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.26 an hour ($37,990 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $19.65.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Jackson or Nashville?: Nashville pays more: the median is $47,240 in Jackson and $56,030 in Nashville, a 16% difference.
How does Jackson pay compare with the rest of Tennessee?: The Jackson median of $47,240 is 9% 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 27180 (Jackson, 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 (85.5, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures