How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Burlington, VT?

The median hourly wage is $28.85. The middle half earn between $27.00 and $30.71 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Burlington, VT?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $24.89 an hour ($51,780 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $27.00.

How does Burlington pay compare with the rest of Vermont?

The Burlington median of $60,000 is 2% more than the Vermont median of $58,870.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Burlington, VT

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Burlington–South Burlington, VT area earn a median of $60,000 a year, or $28.85 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $76,090 a year. That's 2% more than the Vermont median of $58,870.

Median yearly pay$60,000

Bottom 10% under$51,780Top 10% over$76,090

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $24.89/hr
Jobs in this area: 330
After cost of living: $59,440
Median hourly pay: $28.85/hr
vs U.S. median: 0%
vs Vermont median: +2%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 15540, Burlington-South Burlington, VT). 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	$51,780–$56,160$24.89–$27.00/hr
Experienced operator	$60,000$28.85/hr
Top earners	$63,870–$76,090$30.71–$36.58/hr

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

How Burlington, VT compares

Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in the Burlington area than nationally: 2.7 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.88 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $76,090, is 1.5 times the 10th-percentile wage, $51,780: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other trades in Burlington, VT

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Burlington, VT?: Heavy equipment operators in the Burlington–South Burlington, VT area earn a median of $60,000 a year, or $28.85 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $76,090 a year.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Burlington, VT?: The median hourly wage is $28.85. The middle half earn between $27.00 and $30.71 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Burlington, VT?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $24.89 an hour ($51,780 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $27.00.
How does Burlington pay compare with the rest of Vermont?: The Burlington median of $60,000 is 2% more than the Vermont median of $58,870.

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 15540 (Burlington-South Burlington, VT). 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 (100.9, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures