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

The median hourly wage is $23.56. The middle half earn between $22.03 and $27.91 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

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

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.20 an hour ($37,860 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.03.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Roanoke or Washington?

Washington pays more: the median is $49,010 in Roanoke and $61,660 in Washington, a 21% difference.

How does Roanoke pay compare with the rest of Virginia?

The Roanoke median of $49,010 is 14% less than the Virginia median of $57,160.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Roanoke, VA

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Roanoke, VA area earn a median of $49,010 a year, or $23.56 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $70,670 a year. Across all of Virginia, the median is $57,160, so Roanoke pays 14% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$49,010

Bottom 10% under$37,860Top 10% over$70,670

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.20/hr
Jobs in this area: 480
After cost of living: $52,350
Median hourly pay: $23.56/hr
vs U.S. median: −18%
vs Virginia median: −14%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 40220, Roanoke, 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	$37,860–$45,830$18.20–$22.03/hr
Experienced operator	$49,010$23.56/hr
Top earners	$58,040–$70,670$27.91–$33.97/hr

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

How Roanoke, VA compares

Roanoke ranks 10th of 11 Virginia metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators hold about the same share of jobs in the Roanoke area as nationally: 3.1 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $70,670, is 1.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $37,860: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Virginia metro areas

Other trades in Roanoke, VA

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic Roofer

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Roanoke, VA?: Heavy equipment operators in the Roanoke, VA area earn a median of $49,010 a year, or $23.56 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $70,670 a year.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Roanoke, VA?: The median hourly wage is $23.56. The middle half earn between $22.03 and $27.91 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Roanoke, VA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.20 an hour ($37,860 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.03.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Roanoke or Washington?: Washington pays more: the median is $49,010 in Roanoke and $61,660 in Washington, a 21% difference.
How does Roanoke pay compare with the rest of Virginia?: The Roanoke median of $49,010 is 14% less 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 40220 (Roanoke, 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 (93.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures