How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Charlottesville, VA?

The median hourly wage is $28.75. The middle half earn between $24.22 and $30.44 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Charlottesville, VA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.91 an hour ($45,570 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.22.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Charlottesville or Washington?

Washington pays more: the median is $59,790 in Charlottesville and $61,660 in Washington, a 3% difference.

How does Charlottesville pay compare with the rest of Virginia?

The Charlottesville median of $59,790 is 5% more than the Virginia median of $57,160.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Charlottesville, VA

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Charlottesville, VA area earn a median of $59,790 a year, or $28.75 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $85,700 a year. That's 5% more than the Virginia median of $57,160.

Median yearly pay$59,790

Bottom 10% under$45,570Top 10% over$85,700

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $21.91/hr
Jobs in this area: 310
After cost of living: $60,310
Median hourly pay: $28.75/hr
vs U.S. median: 0%
vs Virginia median: +5%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 16820, Charlottesville, VA). 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	$45,570–$50,380$21.91–$24.22/hr
Experienced operator	$59,790$28.75/hr
Top earners	$63,310–$85,700$30.44–$41.20/hr

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

How Charlottesville, VA compares

Charlottesville ranks 2nd of 11 Virginia metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in the Charlottesville area than nationally: 2.7 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.89 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $85,700, is 1.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $45,570: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Virginia metro areas

Other trades in Charlottesville, VA

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Charlottesville, VA?: Heavy equipment operators in the Charlottesville, VA area earn a median of $59,790 a year, or $28.75 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $85,700 a year.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Charlottesville, VA?: The median hourly wage is $28.75. The middle half earn between $24.22 and $30.44 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Charlottesville, VA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.91 an hour ($45,570 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.22.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Charlottesville or Washington?: Washington pays more: the median is $59,790 in Charlottesville and $61,660 in Washington, a 3% difference.
How does Charlottesville pay compare with the rest of Virginia?: The Charlottesville median of $59,790 is 5% more than the Virginia median of $57,160.

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 16820 (Charlottesville, VA). 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 (99.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures