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

The median hourly wage is $21.94. The middle half earn between $18.72 and $26.11 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in El Paso, TX?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $16.75 an hour ($34,840 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $18.72.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in El Paso or Dallas?

Dallas pays more: the median is $45,630 in El Paso and $51,370 in Dallas, a 11% difference.

How does El Paso pay compare with the rest of Texas?

The El Paso median of $45,630 is 10% less than the Texas median of $50,460.

Heavy equipment operator salary in El Paso, TX

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the El Paso, TX area earn a median of $45,630 a year, or $21.94 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $61,530 a year. That's 10% less than the Texas median of $50,460.

Median yearly pay$45,630

Bottom 10% under$34,840Top 10% over$61,530

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $16.75/hr
Jobs in this area: 980
After cost of living: $50,750
Median hourly pay: $21.94/hr
vs U.S. median: −24%
vs Texas median: −10%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 21340, El Paso, 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	$34,840–$38,940$16.75–$18.72/hr
Experienced operator	$45,630$21.94/hr
Top earners	$54,310–$61,530$26.11–$29.58/hr

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

How El Paso, TX compares

El Paso ranks 24th of 26 Texas metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators hold about the same share of jobs in the El Paso area as nationally: 2.9 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $61,530, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $34,840: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Texas metro areas

Other trades in El Paso, TX

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Lineman Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic Roofer Millwright

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in El Paso, TX?: Heavy equipment operators in the El Paso, TX area earn a median of $45,630 a year, or $21.94 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $61,530 a year.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in El Paso, TX?: The median hourly wage is $21.94. The middle half earn between $18.72 and $26.11 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in El Paso, TX?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $16.75 an hour ($34,840 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $18.72.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in El Paso or Dallas?: Dallas pays more: the median is $45,630 in El Paso and $51,370 in Dallas, a 11% difference.
How does El Paso pay compare with the rest of Texas?: The El Paso median of $45,630 is 10% 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 21340 (El Paso, 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 (89.9, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures