How much do heavy equipment operators make?
Heavy Equipment Operators earn a median $28.78 an hour ($59,850 a year) nationally, according to BLS OEWS May 2025. The BLS counts 478,090 heavy equipment operators working in the US. BLS projects about 39,200 heavy equipment operators openings a year from 2025 to 2035.
National median pay
$28.78/hr
National median annual
$59,850
full-time, 2,080 hrs
25th percentile
$23.40/hr
a quarter earn less
75th percentile
$37.10/hr
a quarter earn more
US employment
478,090
Openings per year
39,200
2025 to 2035
Union wage premium
+55.5%
union vs nonunion
Entry difficulty
Job Zone 2
very little to some preparation needed
Where heavy equipment operators pay the most
All 25 cities ranked by median hourly pay, from BLS OEWS May 2025. Toggle to cost-of-living adjusted pay to compare what pay is worth in each city. Each row opens the full heavy equipment operator page for that city.
Heavy Equipment Operators pay by city: highest to lowest median
Median hourly pay in all 25 cities. The top 10 are highlighted.
Pay by industry
Where heavy equipment operators earn the most
Top 8 of 76 published industries by national median hourly pay. These are national figures.
Industry pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Industries with suppressed BLS figures are not listed.
Related trades
Related trades to compare
Entry difficulty: Job Zone 2: very little to some preparation needed.
O*NET lists these occupations as related to heavy equipment operators, ranked by national median pay. Each link opens that trade's salary hub.
Related occupations and Job Zones: O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor.
Hiring demand
Job openings for heavy equipment operators
39,200
Projected heavy equipment operators openings per year nationally, 2025 to 2035. About 37,000 of those replace workers who retire or change occupations; the rest comes from job growth.
BLS Employment Projections, 2025-2035.
Monthly demand signal
Construction hiring trend
8.36M
Construction workers employed in August 2026, up 1.5% from a year earlier.
Buildings (236)
up 1.5%
vs year earlier
Heavy and civil (237)
up 2.3%
vs year earlier
Specialty trades (238)
up 1.3%
vs year earlier
Production and nonsupervisory workers in construction averaged $39.36/hr in August 2026, up 5.0% from a year earlier. Supervisory pay is not included.
These are national construction-industry figures, not heavy equipment operators-specific. They describe demand, not pay for this trade.
BLS Current Employment Statistics, seasonally adjusted, through August 2026. The latest month is preliminary and subject to revision.
Getting in
How to become heavy equipment operator
7,322 active heavy equipment operator apprentices nationwide in FY2024, per the Department of Labor. The standard path is a registered apprenticeship: paid on-the-job training plus classroom instruction. States with the most active apprentices:
- California1,125 apprentices
- Illinois885 apprentices
- Ohio795 apprentices
- Indiana718 apprentices
- Minnesota574 apprentices
DOL Registered Apprenticeship, FY2024.
Union vs nonunion pay for heavy equipment operators
Full-time union members in this occupation group have median weekly earnings of $1,561, versus $1,004 for nonunion workers: a 55.5% union wage premium, or about $557 more per week. The Bureau of Labor Statistics cautions that these comparisons do not account for age, firm size, industry, or geography. These are the official national figures.
Union wage premium, 2025 (est. from national medians)
+55.5%
$1,561/week union vs $1,004/week nonunion (across all workers: +19.6%)
Median weekly earnings, full-time workers, 2025
Union wage premium by trade, ranked
- 01Electricians+55.5%
- 02Plumbers, Pipefitters & Steamfitters+55.5%
- 03Carpenters+55.5%
- 04Painters (Construction & Maintenance)+55.5%
- 05Roofers+55.5%
- 06Structural Iron and Steel Workers+55.5%
- 07Sheet Metal Workers+55.5%
- 08Brickmasons and Blockmasons+55.5%
- 09Glaziers+55.5%
- 10Heavy Equipment Operators+55.5%
- 11Insulation Workers+55.5%
- 12Landscaping & Groundskeeping Workers+52.0%
- 13HVAC Technicians+37.8%
- 14Automotive Service Technicians+37.8%
- 15Maintenance & Repair Workers+37.8%
- 16Welders+22.9%
Median usual weekly earnings from the 2025 BLS Current Population Survey, union membership annual release (Table 4): full-time wage and salary workers, sole or principal job. BLS publishes union-earnings figures for the broader group “Construction and extraction occupations”; these premiums are national and are not published by city. All self-employed workers are excluded. 2025 is an 11-month average (October not collected during the federal shutdown).
Union vs non-union, after taxes
Union vs non-union take-home pay
National union and non-union medians for heavy equipment operators, run through San Francisco state taxes.
Union member
$62,462
take-home per year
- Gross
- $81,172/yr
- Effective tax rate
- 23.0%
Non-union
$42,794
take-home per year
- Gross
- $52,208/yr
- Effective tax rate
- 18.0%
Union take-home runs $19,668 a year higher, a +55.5% premium before taxes.
Union figures are national 2025 BLS Current Population Survey medians for “Construction and extraction occupations” ($81,172/yr union vs $52,208/yr non-union, full-time). The CPS publishes no state or city union-earnings figures, so switching cities changes only the state tax calculation. Take-home: 2026 tax year, single filer, standard deduction, federal plus state income tax plus FICA. Estimate.
Frequently asked questions about heavy equipment operators pay
How do I become a heavy equipment operator?
Through a registered apprenticeship: paid on-the-job training plus classroom instruction, typically lasting several years, with wages that rise as you learn. The DOL counted 7,322 active heavy equipment operator apprentices nationwide in FY2024. Search open programs at Apprenticeship.gov.
Is becoming a heavy equipment operator worth it financially?
heavy equipment operators earn a median $28.78 an hour nationally (BLS OEWS May 2025), with BLS projecting about 39,200 openings a year from 2025 to 2035. Pay varies by city and experience; the city ranking above shows where pay is highest.
Where do heavy equipment operators earn the most?
San Francisco, CA pays the most of the 25 cities tracked: a median $59.97 an hour. By industry, Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution pays the most nationally at $45.91 an hour. Both figures are BLS OEWS May 2025 medians.
Do union heavy equipment operators earn more?
Yes. In 2025, full-time union members in construction and extraction occupations earned a median of $1,561 a week versus $1,004 for nonunion workers, a +55.5% premium. These are national BLS figures; contracts often add benefits the wage figures do not capture.
How dangerous is heavy equipment operator work?
The BLS has not published a fatal injury rate for heavy equipment operators as a distinct occupation. The safety section below ranks trades where the BLS does publish rates.
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