Typical entry: High school diploma or equivalent
Heavy equipment operator
Operating engineers run the excavators, bulldozers, graders, and loaders that move earth on construction sites, road jobs, and pipelines. Pay rises with the machines you are certified on, and union operators earn well above the occupation's median.
By the Degreeless Jobs research deskUpdated Sep 7, 2026Sources: BLS, O*NET
What a heavy equipment operator makes
Median pay, May 2025, United States
$59,850
$28.78 an hour, median
- 25th percentile
- $48,680
- 75th percentile
- $77,170
- 90th percentile
- $101,090
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Wages of employed workers, not offers.
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- BLS
- Workers without a bachelor's
- 100%
- O*NET
- Growth, 2025 to 2035
- +4.6%
- BLS projections
- Openings a year
- 39,200
- BLS projections
How people get in without a degree
A high school diploma and a three- to four-year paid apprenticeship through an International Union of Operating Engineers local is the highest-paying route. Non-union contractors hire laborers and move them onto machines over time. A commercial driver's license helps, because operators often haul their own equipment. Private heavy-equipment schools exist but are not required; check a free union apprenticeship first.
The work, as O*NET defines it: Operate one or several types of power construction equipment, such as motor graders, bulldozers, scrapers, compressors, pumps, derricks, shovels, tractors, or front-end loaders to excavate, move, and grade earth, erect structures, or pour concrete or other hard surface pavement. May repair and maintain equipment in addition to other duties.
The next step
Operating engineer apprenticeship, or contractor on-the-job training
- Typical cost
- Union apprenticeships are paid from day one; private schools $5,000 to $20,000 and are optional
- Time to complete
- 3 to 4 years to journeyman, with scheduled pay increases along the way
Costs and durations are ranges gathered from provider and state sources; confirm the current price and your state's rules before you pay anything. Never pay a fee to apply for a job.
Pay by state
Median pay for operating engineers and other construction equipment operators by state, May 2025, sorted by annual median. States without a published estimate are omitted.
| State | Hourly median | Annual median | 25th to 75th | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $55.70 | $115,860 | $73,200 to $121,780 | 2,380 |
| Illinois | $46.99 | $97,740 | $69,230 to $109,320 | 12,290 |
| New Jersey | $43.11 | $89,660 | $64,100 to $126,330 | 5,980 |
| California | $41.90 | $87,160 | $65,230 to $125,560 | 36,020 |
| Washington | $39.28 | $81,700 | $64,390 to $114,640 | 10,290 |
| New York | $38.94 | $80,980 | $60,540 to $112,920 | 14,490 |
| Indiana | $38.26 | $79,580 | $58,240 to $93,300 | 11,520 |
| Minnesota | $38.04 | $79,130 | $63,310 to $95,740 | 8,590 |
| Connecticut | $37.86 | $78,750 | $64,720 to $101,610 | 2,860 |
| Alaska | $37.41 | $77,810 | $66,830 to $99,890 | 3,050 |
| Massachusetts | $36.93 | $76,820 | $62,370 to $107,550 | 9,680 |
| Wisconsin | $36.19 | $75,280 | $61,520 to $94,610 | 8,140 |
| District of Columbia | $35.87 | $74,610 | $65,450 to $86,280 | 620 |
| Oregon | $35.30 | $73,430 | $61,200 to $97,840 | 5,630 |
| Nevada | $34.33 | $71,410 | $60,710 to $90,030 | 5,410 |
| Ohio | $31.22 | $64,940 | $54,430 to $92,930 | 16,920 |
| Rhode Island | $30.58 | $63,610 | $61,660 to $83,820 | 970 |
| Wyoming | $30.27 | $62,960 | $54,370 to $84,950 | 3,800 |
| Michigan | $30.14 | $62,690 | $54,710 to $78,410 | 9,500 |
| Colorado | $30.11 | $62,620 | $57,700 to $73,670 | 11,700 |
| New Hampshire | $29.91 | $62,200 | $57,310 to $73,860 | 1,330 |
| North Dakota | $29.88 | $62,150 | $58,180 to $76,430 | 4,890 |
| Idaho | $29.66 | $61,680 | $52,590 to $75,390 | 4,270 |
| Montana | $29.61 | $61,580 | $56,310 to $72,130 | 3,750 |
| Maryland | $29.53 | $61,410 | $49,430 to $70,860 | 6,610 |
| Utah | $29.20 | $60,740 | $51,800 to $65,430 | 7,880 |
| Arizona | $29.14 | $60,620 | $51,200 to $65,370 | 13,200 |
| Missouri | $29.10 | $60,540 | $48,290 to $84,400 | 10,470 |
| Pennsylvania | $29.10 | $60,530 | $50,790 to $77,780 | 22,120 |
| Iowa | $29.01 | $60,330 | $53,610 to $72,660 | 5,530 |
| South Dakota | $28.61 | $59,500 | $50,690 to $63,460 | 2,050 |
| Vermont | $28.30 | $58,870 | $52,760 to $63,680 | 1,280 |
| Nebraska | $28.06 | $58,360 | $47,940 to $63,480 | 3,180 |
| Delaware | $27.89 | $58,020 | $46,500 to $66,140 | 1,230 |
| Kentucky | $27.78 | $57,780 | $49,040 to $65,720 | 7,050 |
| Virginia | $27.48 | $57,160 | $48,040 to $63,330 | 12,100 |
| Maine | $26.99 | $56,140 | $48,920 to $61,480 | 2,210 |
| New Mexico | $25.00 | $52,000 | $47,470 to $60,090 | 5,520 |
| Tennessee | $25.00 | $52,000 | $46,490 to $59,360 | 10,660 |
| Louisiana | $24.86 | $51,700 | $46,440 to $62,230 | 7,860 |
| Kansas | $24.82 | $51,620 | $44,720 to $62,030 | 7,070 |
| West Virginia | $24.66 | $51,300 | $42,630 to $61,690 | 7,830 |
| Texas | $24.26 | $50,460 | $46,120 to $59,990 | 55,540 |
| Florida | $23.75 | $49,400 | $46,330 to $58,360 | 27,510 |
| North Carolina | $23.71 | $49,310 | $45,700 to $57,870 | 16,580 |
| South Carolina | $23.53 | $48,940 | $44,960 to $57,780 | 8,160 |
| Oklahoma | $23.06 | $47,970 | $41,920 to $56,700 | 7,050 |
| Georgia | $23.02 | $47,880 | $41,670 to $56,940 | 15,700 |
| Alabama | $22.84 | $47,520 | $39,780 to $57,540 | 9,640 |
| Mississippi | $22.79 | $47,410 | $39,530 to $57,200 | 4,170 |
| Arkansas | $21.41 | $44,520 | $38,350 to $49,860 | 5,800 |
Questions
Do you need a degree to be a heavy equipment operator?
No. BLS lists "high school diploma or equivalent" as the typical education for entry, and 100% of workers in the occupation report less than a bachelor's degree (O*NET). The usual credential is operating engineer apprenticeship, or contractor on-the-job training.
How much does a heavy equipment operator make?
The median pay was $59,850 a year ($28.78 an hour) in May 2025, according to BLS. The middle half earned between $48,680 and $77,170, and the top 10 percent earned more than $101,090.
How long does it take to become a heavy equipment operator?
3 to 4 years to journeyman, with scheduled pay increases along the way. The typical cost is union apprenticeships are paid from day one; private schools $5,000 to $20,000 and are optional.
Is heavy equipment operator work growing?
BLS projects employment to grow 4.6% from 2025 to 2035 with about 39,200 openings a year from growth and from workers leaving the occupation.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, occupation code 47-2073.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35 (Table 1.2).
- O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA), CC BY 4.0. The share without a bachelor’s degree is our summary of O*NET’s education distribution; USDOL/ETA has not approved or endorsed it.
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile