Heavy equipment operator salary in Parkersburg, WV
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Heavy equipment operators in the Parkersburg–Vienna, WV area earn a median of $47,450 a year, or $22.81 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $61,690. Statewide, heavy equipment operators earn a median of $51,300; Parkersburg is 8% below it.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $15.49/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 330
- After cost of living
- $54,500
- Median hourly pay
- $22.81/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −21%
- vs West Virginia median
- −8%
Entry-level to top heavy equipment operator pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $32,230–$39,000$15.49–$18.75/hr | |
| Experienced operator | $47,450$22.81/hr | |
| Top earners | $54,950–$61,690$26.42–$29.66/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Parkersburg, WV compares
- Parkersburg has the lowest heavy equipment operator median of the 10 West Virginia metro areas with published pay.
- Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Parkersburg area than nationally: 9.1 of every 1,000 jobs, 3.0 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $61,690, is 1.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $32,230: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other West Virginia metro areas
Other trades in Parkersburg, WV
Questions
- How much do heavy equipment operators make in Parkersburg, WV?
- Heavy equipment operators in the Parkersburg–Vienna, WV area earn a median of $47,450 a year, or $22.81 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $61,690.
- How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Parkersburg, WV?
- The median hourly wage is $22.81. The middle half earn between $18.75 and $26.42 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Parkersburg, WV?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $15.49 an hour ($32,230 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $18.75.
- Do heavy equipment operators make more in Parkersburg or Washington?
- Washington pays more: the median is $47,450 in Parkersburg and $61,660 in Washington, a 23% difference.
- How does Parkersburg pay compare with the rest of West Virginia?
- The Parkersburg median of $47,450 is 8% less 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 37620 (Parkersburg-Vienna, 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 (87.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures