Typical entry: High school diploma or equivalent
Heavy equipment technician
Mobile heavy equipment mechanics service the machines used in construction, mining, and agriculture: excavators, dozers, loaders, and cranes. Work happens in shops and in the field, and dealers such as Caterpillar and John Deere run their own training pipelines.
By the Degreeless Jobs research deskUpdated Sep 7, 2026Sources: BLS, O*NET
What a heavy equipment technician makes
Median pay, May 2025, United States
$65,510
$31.50 an hour, median
- 25th percentile
- $56,970
- 75th percentile
- $79,270
- 90th percentile
- $94,460
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
- +6.7%
- BLS projections
- Openings a year
- 15,000
- BLS projections
How people get in without a degree
A high school diploma plus employer training is the standard entry, and every worker O*NET surveyed in this occupation reported less than a bachelor's degree. Dealer technician programs and union operating-engineer apprenticeships both pay while you train. Hydraulics and diagnostic electronics are what separate a helper from a paid technician.
The work, as O*NET defines it: Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul mobile mechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic equipment, such as cranes, bulldozers, graders, and conveyors, used in construction, logging, and mining.
The next step
Dealer technician program or a heavy equipment apprenticeship
- Typical cost
- Dealer and union programs are paid; community-college certificates $4,000 to $15,000
- Time to complete
- 1 to 4 years depending on the route
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 mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines by state, May 2025, sorted by annual median. States without a published estimate are omitted.
| State | Hourly median | Annual median | 25th to 75th | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $39.75 | $82,670 | $65,500 to $105,300 | 1,430 |
| Nevada | $38.39 | $79,860 | $68,050 to $92,690 | 2,870 |
| Minnesota | $38.16 | $79,370 | $63,060 to $90,500 | 2,890 |
| Hawaii | $38.06 | $79,170 | $66,610 to $90,830 | 530 |
| Washington | $37.80 | $78,620 | $64,800 to $96,750 | 3,900 |
| California | $37.76 | $78,550 | $63,830 to $94,620 | 20,080 |
| Connecticut | $37.59 | $78,190 | $65,400 to $92,270 | 1,080 |
| New Jersey | $37.59 | $78,180 | $63,560 to $92,980 | 3,520 |
| Massachusetts | $36.57 | $76,070 | $64,880 to $92,450 | 1,620 |
| North Dakota | $36.55 | $76,030 | $60,960 to $87,750 | 1,720 |
| Oregon | $35.93 | $74,740 | $61,790 to $82,950 | 2,650 |
| Wyoming | $35.19 | $73,200 | $57,010 to $83,390 | 1,420 |
| Montana | $34.88 | $72,560 | $62,590 to $83,200 | 1,330 |
| Colorado | $34.53 | $71,830 | $60,490 to $86,270 | 4,060 |
| Illinois | $34.31 | $71,370 | $55,160 to $80,870 | 3,470 |
| District of Columbia | $34.03 | $70,780 | $57,740 to $77,480 | 130 |
| New Hampshire | $32.96 | $68,570 | $59,730 to $78,640 | 660 |
| Maryland | $32.81 | $68,250 | $60,250 to $81,180 | 1,800 |
| Rhode Island | $32.76 | $68,130 | $60,130 to $84,480 | 260 |
| Delaware | $32.22 | $67,010 | $55,860 to $80,390 | 540 |
| South Dakota | $32.08 | $66,730 | $60,700 to $79,580 | 830 |
| Michigan | $32.06 | $66,680 | $58,850 to $78,120 | 3,860 |
| New York | $31.88 | $66,310 | $59,120 to $79,450 | 4,700 |
| Wisconsin | $31.46 | $65,450 | $59,310 to $80,270 | 2,090 |
| Nebraska | $31.32 | $65,150 | $59,810 to $77,260 | 1,490 |
| Arizona | $31.24 | $64,980 | $59,350 to $77,520 | 7,040 |
| Idaho | $31.17 | $64,830 | $57,770 to $79,780 | 1,220 |
| Iowa | $30.91 | $64,290 | $57,250 to $78,430 | 2,820 |
| Indiana | $30.86 | $64,200 | $56,550 to $79,440 | 3,130 |
| North Carolina | $30.81 | $64,080 | $55,940 to $76,410 | 5,100 |
| Vermont | $30.78 | $64,020 | $58,680 to $74,940 | 350 |
| Virginia | $30.74 | $63,950 | $53,500 to $77,060 | 4,340 |
| Pennsylvania | $30.71 | $63,870 | $57,270 to $75,150 | 6,870 |
| Alabama | $30.70 | $63,850 | $55,270 to $75,890 | 4,640 |
| New Mexico | $30.59 | $63,630 | $52,010 to $77,470 | 1,470 |
| Utah | $30.57 | $63,580 | $57,120 to $76,250 | 2,230 |
| Florida | $30.55 | $63,550 | $52,680 to $75,390 | 9,240 |
| Missouri | $30.48 | $63,390 | $52,390 to $78,650 | 3,370 |
| Ohio | $30.39 | $63,200 | $58,130 to $76,450 | 6,270 |
| Louisiana | $29.93 | $62,260 | $48,990 to $73,540 | 4,270 |
| Texas | $29.78 | $61,940 | $50,740 to $76,690 | 20,080 |
| Tennessee | $29.75 | $61,880 | $52,000 to $74,020 | 2,600 |
| Maine | $29.46 | $61,280 | $54,330 to $74,060 | 1,490 |
| Kansas | $29.28 | $60,890 | $51,200 to $72,960 | 1,690 |
| Georgia | $29.12 | $60,560 | $50,720 to $72,670 | 6,270 |
| Arkansas | $29.10 | $60,530 | $47,820 to $65,680 | 1,190 |
| Kentucky | $28.47 | $59,220 | $48,810 to $70,240 | 2,540 |
| South Carolina | $28.45 | $59,180 | $48,480 to $65,080 | 2,830 |
| Mississippi | $27.97 | $58,180 | $47,000 to $64,470 | 1,690 |
| Oklahoma | $27.95 | $58,130 | $47,250 to $72,620 | 2,800 |
| West Virginia | $27.31 | $56,810 | $46,350 to $64,910 | 2,110 |
Questions
Do you need a degree to be a heavy equipment technician?
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 dealer technician program or a heavy equipment apprenticeship.
How much does a heavy equipment technician make?
The median pay was $65,510 a year ($31.50 an hour) in May 2025, according to BLS. The middle half earned between $56,970 and $79,270, and the top 10 percent earned more than $94,460.
How long does it take to become a heavy equipment technician?
1 to 4 years depending on the route. The typical cost is dealer and union programs are paid; community-college certificates $4,000 to $15,000.
Is heavy equipment technician work growing?
BLS projects employment to grow 6.7% from 2025 to 2035 with about 15,000 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 49-3042.
- 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