Heavy equipment operator salary in Bellingham, WA
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Heavy equipment operators in the Bellingham, WA area earn a median of $91,510 a year, or $44.00 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $127,010. Across all of Washington, the median is $81,700, so Bellingham pays 12% more than the state as a whole.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $29.55/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 400
- After cost of living
- $88,560
- Median hourly pay
- $44.00/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +53%
- vs Washington median
- +12%
Entry-level to top heavy equipment operator pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $61,450–$77,880$29.55–$37.44/hr | |
| Experienced operator | $91,510$44.00/hr | |
| Top earners | $115,350–$127,010$55.46–$61.06/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Bellingham, WA compares
- Bellingham ranks 3rd of 13 Washington metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
- Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Bellingham area than nationally: 4.3 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.4 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $127,010, is 2.1 times the 10th-percentile wage, $61,450: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Washington metro areas
Other trades in Bellingham, WA
Questions
- How much do heavy equipment operators make in Bellingham, WA?
- Heavy equipment operators in the Bellingham, WA area earn a median of $91,510 a year, or $44.00 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $127,010.
- How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Bellingham, WA?
- The median hourly wage is $44.00. The middle half earn between $37.44 and $55.46 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Bellingham, WA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $29.55 an hour ($61,450 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $37.44.
- Do heavy equipment operators make more in Bellingham or Olympia?
- Olympia pays more: the median is $91,510 in Bellingham and $103,060 in Olympia, a 11% difference.
- How does Bellingham pay compare with the rest of Washington?
- The Bellingham median of $91,510 is 12% more than the Washington median of $81,700.
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 13380 (Bellingham, WA). 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 (103.3, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures