How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Kenosha, WI?

The median hourly wage is $35.19. The middle half earn between $29.72 and $45.79 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Kenosha, WI?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $28.27 an hour ($58,790 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.72.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Kenosha or Minneapolis?

Minneapolis pays more: the median is $73,190 in Kenosha and $83,340 in Minneapolis, a 12% difference.

How does Kenosha pay compare with the rest of Wisconsin?

The Kenosha median of $73,190 is 3% less than the Wisconsin median of $75,280.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Kenosha, WI

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Kenosha, WI area earn a median of $73,190 a year, or $35.19 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $97,360. Statewide, heavy equipment operators earn a median of $75,280; Kenosha is 3% below it.

Median yearly pay$73,190

Bottom 10% under$58,790Top 10% over$97,360

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $28.27/hr
Jobs in this area: 120
After cost of living: $72,380
Median hourly pay: $35.19/hr
vs U.S. median: +22%
vs Wisconsin median: −3%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 28450, Kenosha, WI). 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	$58,790–$61,820$28.27–$29.72/hr
Experienced operator	$73,190$35.19/hr
Top earners	$95,230–$97,360$45.79–$46.81/hr

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

How Kenosha, WI compares

Kenosha ranks 11th of 15 Wisconsin metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in the Kenosha area than nationally: 1.6 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.53 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $97,360, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $58,790: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Wisconsin metro areas

Other trades in Kenosha, WI

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Kenosha, WI?: Heavy equipment operators in the Kenosha, WI area earn a median of $73,190 a year, or $35.19 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $97,360.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Kenosha, WI?: The median hourly wage is $35.19. The middle half earn between $29.72 and $45.79 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Kenosha, WI?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $28.27 an hour ($58,790 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.72.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Kenosha or Minneapolis?: Minneapolis pays more: the median is $73,190 in Kenosha and $83,340 in Minneapolis, a 12% difference.
How does Kenosha pay compare with the rest of Wisconsin?: The Kenosha median of $73,190 is 3% less than the Wisconsin median of $75,280.

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 28450 (Kenosha, WI). 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 (101.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures