Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators
Median $53,340
Occupation · SOC 47-2073
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators: pay and where the jobs are
What operating engineers and other construction equipment operators earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$59,850 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $66,290
- Median hourly wage
- $28.78
- Mean hourly wage
- $31.87
- Employment
- 478,090
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 47-2073.
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See where your pay falls among operating engineers and other construction equipment operators nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do operating engineers and other construction equipment operators make?
The median annual wage for operating engineers and other construction equipment operators was $59,850 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $42,190 and the highest-paid 10% more than $101,090. As an hourly rate, the median is $28.78. About 478,090 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Hawaii ($115,860), Illinois ($97,740) and New Jersey ($89,660). Hawaii also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for operating engineers and other construction equipment operators looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $42,190 | $20.28 | $3,516 | $3,007 |
| 25th percentile | $48,680 | $23.40 | $4,057 | $3,441 |
| Median | $59,850 | $28.78 | $4,988 | $4,189 |
| 75th percentile | $77,170 | $37.10 | $6,431 | $5,260 |
| 90th percentile | $101,090 | $48.60 | $8,424 | $6,662 |
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators: pay by state
54 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$75,439 take-home in national prices
2
$72,927 take-home in national prices
3
$66,964 take-home in national prices
Where a median operating engineers and other construction equipment operator paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 2,380 | $115,860 | $62,390 | $129,590 | $82,946 | $75,439 |
| Illinois | 12,290 | $97,740 | $49,770 | $123,330 | $72,897 | $72,927 |
| New Jersey | 5,980 | $89,660 | $50,760 | $133,330 | $67,817 | $62,329 |
| California | 36,020 | $87,160 | $52,760 | $132,210 | $65,153 | $58,845 |
| Washington | 10,290 | $81,700 | $57,200 | $125,490 | $65,173 | $60,902 |
| New York | 14,490 | $80,980 | $50,190 | $144,920 | $61,642 | $57,118 |
| Indiana | 11,520 | $79,580 | $47,630 | $98,850 | $62,496 | $66,964 |
| Minnesota | 8,590 | $79,130 | $55,960 | $101,930 | $60,292 | $61,135 |
| Connecticut | 2,860 | $78,750 | $60,000 | $106,920 | $60,256 | $58,156 |
| Alaska | 3,050 | $77,810 | $62,390 | $103,900 | $63,298 | $61,840 |
| Massachusetts | 9,680 | $76,820 | $52,630 | $125,400 | $58,898 | $55,692 |
| Wisconsin | 8,140 | $75,280 | $51,370 | $100,140 | $58,829 | $62,521 |
| District of Columbia | 620 | $74,610 | $50,540 | $98,270 | $57,915 | $52,697 |
| Oregon | 5,630 | $73,430 | $53,410 | $117,310 | $55,100 | $53,308 |
| Nevada | 5,410 | $71,410 | $51,050 | $111,210 | $59,067 | $59,079 |
| Ohio | 16,920 | $64,940 | $46,850 | $98,100 | $53,017 | $57,146 |
| Rhode Island | 970 | $63,610 | $52,460 | $98,870 | $50,822 | $49,690 |
| Wyoming | 3,800 | $62,960 | $48,370 | $85,630 | $52,768 | $56,929 |
| Michigan | 9,500 | $62,690 | $46,370 | $90,580 | $50,138 | $52,109 |
| Colorado | 11,700 | $62,620 | $49,480 | $78,870 | $50,173 | $48,687 |
| New Hampshire | 1,330 | $62,200 | $49,770 | $87,730 | $52,158 | $50,072 |
| North Dakota | 4,890 | $62,150 | $49,840 | $100,570 | $52,118 | $58,586 |
| Idaho | 4,270 | $61,680 | $47,230 | $79,650 | $49,579 | $51,919 |
| Montana | 3,750 | $61,580 | $48,130 | $79,880 | $49,522 | $52,324 |
| Maryland | 6,610 | $61,410 | $46,760 | $78,870 | $48,972 | $46,658 |
| Utah | 7,880 | $60,740 | $47,420 | $75,880 | $48,695 | $49,254 |
| Arizona | 13,200 | $60,620 | $47,680 | $79,460 | $49,766 | $49,432 |
| Missouri | 10,470 | $60,540 | $43,290 | $94,130 | $48,916 | $53,862 |
| Pennsylvania | 22,120 | $60,530 | $46,780 | $94,930 | $48,915 | $50,132 |
| Iowa | 5,530 | $60,330 | $46,690 | $87,460 | $49,014 | $55,849 |
| South Dakota | 2,050 | $59,500 | $47,260 | $75,880 | $49,988 | $56,429 |
| Vermont | 1,280 | $58,870 | $50,270 | $73,860 | $47,944 | $48,943 |
| Nebraska | 3,180 | $58,360 | $44,620 | $75,700 | $47,296 | $52,492 |
| Delaware | 1,230 | $58,020 | $39,090 | $97,520 | $46,024 | $46,112 |
| Kentucky | 7,050 | $57,780 | $44,620 | $80,890 | $46,702 | $51,799 |
| Virginia | 12,100 | $57,160 | $40,870 | $78,250 | $45,635 | $45,137 |
| Maine | 2,210 | $56,140 | $46,200 | $75,390 | $44,896 | $46,261 |
| New Mexico | 5,520 | $52,000 | $44,800 | $69,690 | $42,684 | $46,289 |
| Tennessee | 10,660 | $52,000 | $41,600 | $75,430 | $43,962 | $47,852 |
| Louisiana | 7,860 | $51,700 | $37,440 | $75,180 | $42,556 | $48,246 |
| Kansas | 7,070 | $51,620 | $39,520 | $85,420 | $41,576 | $46,161 |
| West Virginia | 7,830 | $51,300 | $36,500 | $76,970 | $41,901 | $46,818 |
| Texas | 55,540 | $50,460 | $38,900 | $70,010 | $42,725 | $44,020 |
| Florida | 27,510 | $49,400 | $38,820 | $64,020 | $41,873 | $40,491 |
| North Carolina | 16,580 | $49,310 | $39,050 | $64,450 | $40,342 | $42,769 |
| South Carolina | 8,160 | $48,940 | $38,720 | $64,330 | $40,574 | $43,279 |
| Oklahoma | 7,050 | $47,970 | $37,440 | $64,380 | $39,111 | $44,523 |
| Georgia | 15,700 | $47,880 | $37,810 | $62,840 | $39,011 | $40,513 |
| Virgin Islands | 120 | $47,650 | $32,000 | $85,140 | — | — |
| Alabama | 9,640 | $47,520 | $36,230 | $67,690 | $38,402 | $43,235 |
| Mississippi | 4,170 | $47,410 | $36,180 | $67,030 | $39,110 | $44,978 |
| Arkansas | 5,800 | $44,520 | $35,520 | $58,670 | $36,792 | $42,320 |
| Guam | 650 | $39,170 | $37,440 | $52,940 | — | — |
| Puerto Rico | 2,400 | $29,810 | $22,420 | $42,970 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 47-2073. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.