How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Beckley, WV?

The median hourly wage is $28.70. The middle half earn between $21.62 and $29.83 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Beckley, WV?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.66 an hour ($36,730 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.62.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Beckley or Washington?

Washington pays more: the median is $59,700 in Beckley and $61,660 in Washington, a 3% difference.

How does Beckley pay compare with the rest of West Virginia?

The Beckley median of $59,700 is 16% more than the West Virginia median of $51,300.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Beckley, WV

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Beckley, WV area earn a median of $59,700 a year, or $28.70 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $64,430 a year. That's 16% more than the West Virginia median of $51,300.

Median yearly pay$59,700

Bottom 10% under$36,730Top 10% over$64,430

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $17.66/hr
Jobs in this area: 480
After cost of living: $67,560
Median hourly pay: $28.70/hr
vs U.S. median: 0%
vs West Virginia median: +16%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 13220, Beckley, WV). 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	$36,730–$44,970$17.66–$21.62/hr
Experienced operator	$59,700$28.70/hr
Top earners	$62,040–$64,430$29.83–$30.98/hr

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

How Beckley, WV compares

Beckley ranks 2nd of 10 West Virginia metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Beckley area than nationally: 11.1 of every 1,000 jobs, 3.6 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $64,430, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $36,730: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other West Virginia metro areas

Other trades in Beckley, WV

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Beckley, WV?: Heavy equipment operators in the Beckley, WV area earn a median of $59,700 a year, or $28.70 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $64,430 a year.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Beckley, WV?: The median hourly wage is $28.70. The middle half earn between $21.62 and $29.83 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Beckley, WV?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.66 an hour ($36,730 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.62.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Beckley or Washington?: Washington pays more: the median is $59,700 in Beckley and $61,660 in Washington, a 3% difference.
How does Beckley pay compare with the rest of West Virginia?: The Beckley median of $59,700 is 16% more than the West Virginia median of $51,300.

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 13220 (Beckley, WV). 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 (88.4, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures