How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Walla Walla, WA?

The median hourly wage is $32.57. The middle half earn between $29.33 and $35.16 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Walla Walla, WA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $26.00 an hour ($54,080 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.33.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Walla Walla or Seattle?

Seattle pays more: the median is $67,750 in Walla Walla and $95,750 in Seattle, a 29% difference.

How does Walla Walla pay compare with the rest of Washington?

The Walla Walla median of $67,750 is 17% less than the Washington median of $81,700.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Walla Walla, WA

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Walla Walla, WA area earn a median of $67,750 a year, or $32.57 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $83,360 a year. That's 17% less than the Washington median of $81,700.

Median yearly pay$67,750

Bottom 10% under$54,080Top 10% over$83,360

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $26.00/hr
Jobs in this area: 50
After cost of living: $68,770
Median hourly pay: $32.57/hr
vs U.S. median: +13%
vs Washington median: −17%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 47460, Walla Walla, WA). 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	$54,080–$61,010$26.00–$29.33/hr
Experienced operator	$67,750$32.57/hr
Top earners	$73,130–$83,360$35.16–$40.08/hr

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

How Walla Walla, WA compares

Walla Walla ranks 11th of 13 Washington metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in the Walla Walla area than nationally: 2.1 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.67 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $83,360, is 1.5 times the 10th-percentile wage, $54,080: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Washington metro areas

Other trades in Walla Walla, WA

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Walla Walla, WA?: Heavy equipment operators in the Walla Walla, WA area earn a median of $67,750 a year, or $32.57 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $83,360 a year.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Walla Walla, WA?: The median hourly wage is $32.57. The middle half earn between $29.33 and $35.16 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Walla Walla, WA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $26.00 an hour ($54,080 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.33.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Walla Walla or Seattle?: Seattle pays more: the median is $67,750 in Walla Walla and $95,750 in Seattle, a 29% difference.
How does Walla Walla pay compare with the rest of Washington?: The Walla Walla median of $67,750 is 17% less 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 47460 (Walla Walla, 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 (98.5, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures