How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Provo, UT?

The median hourly wage is $28.79. The middle half earn between $24.67 and $31.58 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Provo, UT?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.84 an hour ($47,500 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.67.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Provo or Salt Lake City?

Salt Lake City pays more: the median is $59,880 in Provo and $61,750 in Salt Lake City, a 3% difference.

How does Provo pay compare with the rest of Utah?

The Provo median of $59,880 is 1% less than the Utah median of $60,740.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Provo, UT

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Provo–Orem–Lehi, UT area earn a median of $59,880 a year, or $28.79 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $73,860 a year. Across all of Utah, the median is $60,740, so Provo pays 1% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$59,880

Bottom 10% under$47,500Top 10% over$73,860

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $22.84/hr
Jobs in this area: 1,440
After cost of living: $60,960
Median hourly pay: $28.79/hr
vs U.S. median: 0%
vs Utah median: −1%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 39340, Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT). 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	$47,500–$51,310$22.84–$24.67/hr
Experienced operator	$59,880$28.79/hr
Top earners	$65,690–$73,860$31.58–$35.51/hr

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

How Provo, UT compares

Provo ranks 3rd of 5 Utah metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Provo area than nationally: 4.7 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.5 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $73,860, is 1.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $47,500: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Utah metro areas

Other trades in Provo, UT

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

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Provo, UT?: Heavy equipment operators in the Provo–Orem–Lehi, UT area earn a median of $59,880 a year, or $28.79 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $73,860 a year.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Provo, UT?: The median hourly wage is $28.79. The middle half earn between $24.67 and $31.58 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Provo, UT?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.84 an hour ($47,500 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.67.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Provo or Salt Lake City?: Salt Lake City pays more: the median is $59,880 in Provo and $61,750 in Salt Lake City, a 3% difference.
How does Provo pay compare with the rest of Utah?: The Provo median of $59,880 is 1% less than the Utah median of $60,740.

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 39340 (Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT). 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 (98.2, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures