Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators pay in the U.S.
$66,290avg. a year
$31.87 an hour · 478,090 employed
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators in the U.S. earn an average of $66,290 a year and a median of $59,850. Pay is highest in Hawaii ($102,020) and lowest in Arkansas ($45,890).
$59,850Median pay
$31.87Average hourly
+20%Avg. pay since 2020
478,090Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
12,380 jobs
Hawaii
$102,020
$49.05 an hour
236,020 jobs
California
$94,000
$45.19 an hour
35,980 jobs
New Jersey
$93,270
$44.84 an hour
414,490 jobs
New York
$90,690
$43.60 an hour
512,290 jobs
Illinois
$90,500
$43.51 an hour
610,290 jobs
Washington
$88,290
$42.45 an hour
79,680 jobs
Massachusetts
$84,730
$40.74 an hour
82,860 jobs
Connecticut
$83,380
$40.09 an hour
93,050 jobs
Alaska
$82,680
$39.75 an hour
105,630 jobs
Oregon
$79,270
$38.11 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL
Under $55k$55k–$64k$64k–$76k$76k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $111,400 | $53.56 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $110,300 | $53.03 |
| Kahului-Wailuku, HI | $106,970 | $51.43 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | $104,010 | $50.00 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $101,710 | $48.90 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $100,710 | $48.42 |
| Vallejo, CA | $97,740 | $46.99 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $96,510 | $46.40 |
Related jobs
- Construction Laborers$52,030
- Electricians$71,490
- Carpenters$65,630
- Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters$72,170
- Painters, Construction and Maintenance$55,420
- Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers$60,050
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $50,680 | $47,520 | 9,640 |
| Alaska | $82,680 | $77,810 | 3,050 |
| Arizona | $61,520 | $60,620 | 13,200 |
| Arkansas | $45,890 | $44,520 | 5,800 |
| California | $94,000 | $87,160 | 36,020 |
| Colorado | $64,550 | $62,620 | 11,700 |
| Connecticut | $83,380 | $78,750 | 2,860 |
| Delaware | $60,690 | $58,020 | 1,230 |
| District of Columbia | $76,470 | $74,610 | 620 |
| Florida | $52,590 | $49,400 | 27,510 |
| Georgia | $49,660 | $47,880 | 15,700 |
| Hawaii | $102,020 | $115,860 | 2,380 |
| Idaho | $63,920 | $61,680 | 4,270 |
| Illinois | $90,500 | $97,740 | 12,290 |
| Indiana | $75,300 | $79,580 | 11,520 |
| Iowa | $63,770 | $60,330 | 5,530 |
| Kansas | $57,540 | $51,620 | 7,070 |
| Kentucky | $59,320 | $57,780 | 7,050 |
| Louisiana | $55,380 | $51,700 | 7,860 |
| Maine | $58,230 | $56,140 | 2,210 |
| Maryland | $61,650 | $61,410 | 6,610 |
| Massachusetts | $84,730 | $76,820 | 9,680 |
| Michigan | $66,920 | $62,690 | 9,500 |
| Minnesota | $79,070 | $79,130 | 8,590 |
| Mississippi | $50,010 | $47,410 | 4,170 |
| Missouri | $67,960 | $60,540 | 10,470 |
| Montana | $63,350 | $61,580 | 3,750 |
| Nebraska | $58,240 | $58,360 | 3,180 |
| Nevada | $76,050 | $71,410 | 5,410 |
| New Hampshire | $67,270 | $62,200 | 1,330 |
| New Jersey | $93,270 | $89,660 | 5,980 |
| New Mexico | $54,810 | $52,000 | 5,520 |
| New York | $90,690 | $80,980 | 14,490 |
| North Carolina | $52,310 | $49,310 | 16,580 |
| North Dakota | $68,640 | $62,150 | 4,890 |
| Ohio | $71,830 | $64,940 | 16,920 |
| Oklahoma | $50,110 | $47,970 | 7,050 |
| Oregon | $79,270 | $73,430 | 5,630 |
| Pennsylvania | $65,920 | $60,530 | 22,120 |
| Rhode Island | $72,470 | $63,610 | 970 |
| South Carolina | $51,640 | $48,940 | 8,160 |
| South Dakota | $59,330 | $59,500 | 2,050 |
| Tennessee | $55,050 | $52,000 | 10,660 |
| Texas | $53,740 | $50,460 | 55,540 |
| Utah | $60,840 | $60,740 | 7,880 |
| Vermont | $60,310 | $58,870 | 1,280 |
| Virginia | $58,400 | $57,160 | 12,100 |
| Washington | $88,290 | $81,700 | 10,290 |
| West Virginia | $54,480 | $51,300 | 7,830 |
| Wisconsin | $77,770 | $75,280 | 8,140 |
| Wyoming | $67,010 | $62,960 | 3,800 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
$55,410
14,000 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$55,140
11,510 jobsNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$100,710
11,430 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$94,200
8,780 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA$52,100
8,360 jobsPhoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ$63,350
7,980 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$96,370
7,930 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
$64,850
6,450 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do operating engineers and other construction equipment operators make?
The average is $66,290 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $59,850 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $31.87, and the median is $28.78 an hour.
Which state pays operating engineers and other construction equipment operators the most?
Hawaii, with an average of $102,020 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $111,400.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $42,190 a year, and the top 10% earn over $101,090.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 47-2073. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.