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

The median hourly wage is $22.35. The middle half earn between $21.37 and $27.40 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

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

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.77 an hour ($36,950 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.37.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Lubbock or Dallas?

Dallas pays more: the median is $46,490 in Lubbock and $51,370 in Dallas, a 9% difference.

How does Lubbock pay compare with the rest of Texas?

The Lubbock median of $46,490 is 8% less than the Texas median of $50,460.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Lubbock, TX

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Lubbock, TX area earn a median of $46,490 a year, or $22.35 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $61,690. Across all of Texas, the median is $50,460, so Lubbock pays 8% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$46,490

Bottom 10% under$36,950Top 10% over$61,690

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $17.77/hr
Jobs in this area: 550
After cost of living: $50,910
Median hourly pay: $22.35/hr
vs U.S. median: −22%
vs Texas median: −8%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 31180, Lubbock, 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	$36,950–$44,450$17.77–$21.37/hr
Experienced operator	$46,490$22.35/hr
Top earners	$56,990–$61,690$27.40–$29.66/hr

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

How Lubbock, TX compares

Lubbock ranks 22nd of 26 Texas metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators hold about the same share of jobs in the Lubbock area as nationally: 3.3 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $61,690, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $36,950: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Texas metro areas

Other trades in Lubbock, TX

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

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Lubbock, TX?: Heavy equipment operators in the Lubbock, TX area earn a median of $46,490 a year, or $22.35 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $61,690.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Lubbock, TX?: The median hourly wage is $22.35. The middle half earn between $21.37 and $27.40 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Lubbock, TX?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.77 an hour ($36,950 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.37.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Lubbock or Dallas?: Dallas pays more: the median is $46,490 in Lubbock and $51,370 in Dallas, a 9% difference.
How does Lubbock pay compare with the rest of Texas?: The Lubbock median of $46,490 is 8% 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 31180 (Lubbock, 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 (91.3, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures