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

The median hourly wage is $43.70. The middle half earn between $30.94 and $45.52 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

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

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.96 an hour ($49,830 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $30.94.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Wausau or Minneapolis?

Wausau pays more: the median is $90,900 in Wausau and $83,340 in Minneapolis, a 9% difference.

How does Wausau pay compare with the rest of Wisconsin?

The Wausau median of $90,900 is 21% more than the Wisconsin median of $75,280.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Wausau, WI

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Wausau, WI area earn a median of $90,900 a year, or $43.70 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $96,020. Across all of Wisconsin, the median is $75,280, so Wausau pays 21% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$90,900

Bottom 10% under$49,830Top 10% over$96,020

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $23.96/hr
Jobs in this area: 200
After cost of living: $98,110
Median hourly pay: $43.70/hr
vs U.S. median: +52%
vs Wisconsin median: +21%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 48140, Wausau, 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	$49,830–$64,350$23.96–$30.94/hr
Experienced operator	$90,900$43.70/hr
Top earners	$94,680–$96,020$45.52–$46.16/hr

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

How Wausau, WI compares

Wausau has the highest heavy equipment operator median of the 15 Wisconsin metro areas with published pay.
Heavy equipment operators hold about the same share of jobs in the Wausau area as nationally: 2.8 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $96,020, is 1.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $49,830: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Wisconsin metro areas

Other trades in Wausau, WI

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic Millwright

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Wausau, WI?: Heavy equipment operators in the Wausau, WI area earn a median of $90,900 a year, or $43.70 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $96,020.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Wausau, WI?: The median hourly wage is $43.70. The middle half earn between $30.94 and $45.52 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Wausau, WI?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.96 an hour ($49,830 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $30.94.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Wausau or Minneapolis?: Wausau pays more: the median is $90,900 in Wausau and $83,340 in Minneapolis, a 9% difference.
How does Wausau pay compare with the rest of Wisconsin?: The Wausau median of $90,900 is 21% more 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 48140 (Wausau, 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 (92.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures