TradeSalary

Heavy equipment operator salary in Sheboygan, WI

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Sheboygan, WI area earn a median of $64,290 a year, or $30.91 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $100,570 a year. That's 15% less than the Wisconsin median of $75,280.

Median yearly pay$64,290
Bottom 10% under$57,710Top 10% over$100,570
Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
$27.75/hr
Jobs in this area
100
After cost of living
$68,380
Median hourly pay
$30.91/hr
vs U.S. median
+7%
vs Wisconsin median
−15%
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 43100, Sheboygan, 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

StageYearly payHourly pay
Apprentice / entry level$57,710–$62,730$27.75–$30.16/hr
Experienced operator$64,290$30.91/hr
Top earners$86,910–$100,570$41.78–$48.35/hr

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

How Sheboygan, WI compares

  • Sheboygan has the lowest heavy equipment operator median of the 15 Wisconsin metro areas with published pay.
  • Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in the Sheboygan area than nationally: 1.6 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.52 times the U.S. share.
  • The 90th-percentile wage, $100,570, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $57,710: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Wisconsin metro areas

Other trades in Sheboygan, WI

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Sheboygan, WI?
Heavy equipment operators in the Sheboygan, WI area earn a median of $64,290 a year, or $30.91 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $100,570 a year.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Sheboygan, WI?
The median hourly wage is $30.91. The middle half earn between $30.16 and $41.78 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Sheboygan, WI?
BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $27.75 an hour ($57,710 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $30.16.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Sheboygan or Minneapolis?
Minneapolis pays more: the median is $64,290 in Sheboygan and $83,340 in Minneapolis, a 23% difference.
How does Sheboygan pay compare with the rest of Wisconsin?
The Sheboygan median of $64,290 is 15% 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 43100 (Sheboygan, 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 (94.0, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures