Heavy equipment operator salary in Wheeling, WV-OH
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Heavy equipment operators in the Wheeling, WV-OH area earn a median of $58,250 a year, or $28.01 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $92,420 a year. Across all of West Virginia, the median is $51,300, so Wheeling pays 14% more than the state as a whole.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $18.76/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 500
- After cost of living
- $65,950
- Median hourly pay
- $28.01/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −3%
- vs West Virginia median
- +14%
Entry-level to top heavy equipment operator pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $39,020–$45,670$18.76–$21.96/hr | |
| Experienced operator | $58,250$28.01/hr | |
| Top earners | $77,160–$92,420$37.10–$44.43/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Wheeling, WV-OH compares
- Wheeling ranks 3rd of 10 West Virginia metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
- Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Wheeling area than nationally: 8.5 of every 1,000 jobs, 2.8 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $92,420, is 2.4 times the 10th-percentile wage, $39,020: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other West Virginia metro areas
Other trades in Wheeling, WV-OH
Questions
- How much do heavy equipment operators make in Wheeling, WV-OH?
- Heavy equipment operators in the Wheeling, WV-OH area earn a median of $58,250 a year, or $28.01 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $92,420 a year.
- How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Wheeling, WV-OH?
- The median hourly wage is $28.01. The middle half earn between $21.96 and $37.10 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Wheeling, WV-OH?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.76 an hour ($39,020 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.96.
- Do heavy equipment operators make more in Wheeling or Washington?
- Washington pays more: the median is $58,250 in Wheeling and $61,660 in Washington, a 6% difference.
- How does Wheeling pay compare with the rest of West Virginia?
- The Wheeling median of $58,250 is 14% 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 48540 (Wheeling, WV-OH). 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 (88.3, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures