Heavy equipment operator salary in Seattle, WA
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Heavy equipment operators in the Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue, WA area earn a median of $95,750 a year, or $46.04 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $128,420. Statewide, heavy equipment operators earn a median of $81,700; Seattle is 17% above it.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $28.77/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 4,860
- After cost of living
- $86,160
- Median hourly pay
- $46.04/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +60%
- vs Washington median
- +17%
Entry-level to top heavy equipment operator pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $59,830–$75,150$28.77–$36.13/hr | |
| Experienced operator | $95,750$46.04/hr | |
| Top earners | $122,260–$128,420$58.78–$61.74/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Seattle, WA compares
- Seattle ranks 2nd of 13 Washington metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
- Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in the Seattle area than nationally: 2.3 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.76 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $128,420, is 2.1 times the 10th-percentile wage, $59,830: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Washington metro areas
Other trades in Seattle, WA
Questions
- How much do heavy equipment operators make in Seattle, WA?
- Heavy equipment operators in the Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue, WA area earn a median of $95,750 a year, or $46.04 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $128,420.
- How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Seattle, WA?
- The median hourly wage is $46.04. The middle half earn between $36.13 and $58.78 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Seattle, WA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $28.77 an hour ($59,830 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $36.13.
- Do heavy equipment operators make more in Seattle or Olympia?
- Olympia pays more: the median is $95,750 in Seattle and $103,060 in Olympia, a 7% difference.
- How does Seattle pay compare with the rest of Washington?
- The Seattle median of $95,750 is 17% 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 42660 (Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, 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 (111.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures