How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Abilene, TX?

The median hourly wage is $23.80. The middle half earn between $21.07 and $28.74 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Abilene, TX?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.75 an hour ($36,920 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.07.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Abilene or Dallas?

Dallas pays more: the median is $49,500 in Abilene and $51,370 in Dallas, a 4% difference.

How does Abilene pay compare with the rest of Texas?

The Abilene median of $49,500 is 2% less than the Texas median of $50,460.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Abilene, TX

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Abilene, TX area earn a median of $49,500 a year, or $23.80 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $62,400. Across all of Texas, the median is $50,460, so Abilene pays 2% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$49,500

Bottom 10% under$36,920Top 10% over$62,400

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $17.75/hr
Jobs in this area: 230
After cost of living: $54,780
Median hourly pay: $23.80/hr
vs U.S. median: −17%
vs Texas median: −2%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 10180, Abilene, TX). 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	$36,920–$43,830$17.75–$21.07/hr
Experienced operator	$49,500$23.80/hr
Top earners	$59,790–$62,400$28.74–$30.00/hr

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

How Abilene, TX compares

Abilene ranks 8th of 26 Texas metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators hold about the same share of jobs in the Abilene area as nationally: 3.1 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $62,400, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $36,920: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Texas metro areas

Other trades in Abilene, TX

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

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Abilene, TX?: Heavy equipment operators in the Abilene, TX area earn a median of $49,500 a year, or $23.80 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $62,400.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Abilene, TX?: The median hourly wage is $23.80. The middle half earn between $21.07 and $28.74 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Abilene, TX?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.75 an hour ($36,920 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.07.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Abilene or Dallas?: Dallas pays more: the median is $49,500 in Abilene and $51,370 in Dallas, a 4% difference.
How does Abilene pay compare with the rest of Texas?: The Abilene median of $49,500 is 2% less than the Texas median of $50,460.

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 10180 (Abilene, TX). 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 (90.4, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures