How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Texas?

The median hourly wage is $24.26. The middle half earn between $22.17 and $28.84 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Texas?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.70 an hour ($38,900 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.17.

Where in Texas do heavy equipment operators earn the most?

Among Texas metro areas, Midland has the highest median at $57,900 a year, and McAllen–Edinburg–Mission the lowest at $39,200.

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

The Texas median of $50,460 is 16% less than the U.S. median of $59,850. Prices in Texas run 3% below the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $51,990 would nationally.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Texas

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in Texas earn a median of $50,460 a year, or $24.26 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $70,010. That's 16% less than the national median of $59,850, 43rd of 51 states and DC.

Median yearly pay$50,460

Bottom 10% under$38,900Top 10% over$70,010

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.70/hr
Jobs in Texas: 55,540
After cost of living: $51,990
Median hourly pay: $24.26/hr
vs U.S. median: −16%
Rank among states: 43rd of 51

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 48). 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	$38,900–$46,120$18.70–$22.17/hr
Experienced operator	$50,460$24.26/hr
Top earners	$59,990–$70,010$28.84–$33.66/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 Texas rose 9.4%, from $46,140 in May 2021 to $50,460 in May 2025. Prices rose 19.4% over the same period, so after inflation it fell 8.4%.

Year	Median a year	Median an hour
May 2021	$46,140	$22.18/hr
May 2022	$46,390	$22.30/hr
May 2023	$47,380	$22.78/hr
May 2024	$49,650	$23.87/hr
May 2025	$50,460	$24.26/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 Texas compares

Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in Texas than nationally: 3.9 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.3 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $70,010, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $38,900: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Rural Texas

Northwestern Region$51,710
Coastal Plains Region$50,440
North Region$49,200
Eastern Region$48,560
Border Region$48,370
Hill Country Region$48,280

Other trades in Texas

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

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Texas?: Heavy equipment operators in Texas earn a median of $50,460 a year, or $24.26 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $70,010.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Texas?: The median hourly wage is $24.26. The middle half earn between $22.17 and $28.84 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Texas?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.70 an hour ($38,900 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.17.
Has heavy equipment operator pay gone up in Texas?: The median heavy equipment operator wage in Texas rose 9.4%, from $46,140 in May 2021 to $50,460 in May 2025. Prices rose 19.4% over the same period, so after inflation it fell 8.4%. (BLS wage data and Consumer Price Index.)
Where in Texas do heavy equipment operators earn the most?: Among Texas metro areas, Midland has the highest median at $57,900 a year, and McAllen–Edinburg–Mission the lowest at $39,200.
Do heavy equipment operators in Texas earn more than the national average?: The Texas median of $50,460 is 16% less than the U.S. median of $59,850. Prices in Texas run 3% below the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $51,990 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 48. 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 (97.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures