Heavy equipment operator salary in Dallas, TX
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Heavy equipment operators in the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington, TX area earn a median of $51,370 a year, or $24.70 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $71,080 a year. Statewide, heavy equipment operators earn a median of $50,460; Dallas is 2% above it.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $20.05/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 11,510
- After cost of living
- $49,830
- Median hourly pay
- $24.70/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −14%
- vs Texas median
- +2%
Entry-level to top heavy equipment operator pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $41,700–$47,730$20.05–$22.95/hr | |
| Experienced operator | $51,370$24.70/hr | |
| Top earners | $60,400–$71,080$29.04–$34.17/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Dallas, TX compares
- Dallas ranks 5th of 26 Texas metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
- Heavy equipment operators hold about the same share of jobs in the Dallas area as nationally: 2.8 of every 1,000 jobs.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $71,080, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $41,700: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Texas metro areas
Other trades in Dallas, TX
Questions
- How much do heavy equipment operators make in Dallas, TX?
- Heavy equipment operators in the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington, TX area earn a median of $51,370 a year, or $24.70 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $71,080 a year.
- How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Dallas, TX?
- The median hourly wage is $24.70. The middle half earn between $22.95 and $29.04 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Dallas, TX?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.05 an hour ($41,700 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.95.
- Do heavy equipment operators make more in Dallas or Midland?
- Midland pays more: the median is $51,370 in Dallas and $57,900 in Midland, a 11% difference.
- How does Dallas pay compare with the rest of Texas?
- The Dallas median of $51,370 is 2% more 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 19100 (Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, 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 (103.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures