occupation · 47-2073 · detailed
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators — wages and employment
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators earned a median annual wage of $58,710 in the United States in May 2024, with 469,270 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
What stands out
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators earned a median annual wage of $58,710 in the United States in May 2024, with 469,270 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The lowest-paid tenth earned $40,080 or less, the best-paid tenth $100,690 or more. Since May 2023 the median moved from $56,160 to $58,710, +4.5 %. The best-paying state is Hawaii at $105,440; the lowest Puerto Rico at $26,200. Among metropolitan areas, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA pays the highest median, $117,350. Wages are as published by BLS for May of each year; '≥ $239,200' is BLS's top code. Every value links to its fact record.
United States, year by year
Annual wages at the median, mean and four percentiles; employment is the May estimate.
| Reference | Employment | Median | Mean | 10th | 25th | 75th | 90th | Median hourly | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | 469,270 | $58,710 | $65,180 | $40,080 | $47,780 | $75,750 | $100,690 | $28.23 | evidence → |
| May 2023 | 450,370 | $56,160 | $62,180 | $38,410 | $46,270 | $72,970 | $95,570 | $27.00 | evidence → |
By state
Median annual wage, May 2024, highest first. Each state has its own record with the full series.
| State | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $105,440 | 1,740 |
| Illinois | $96,980 | 11,690 |
| California | $89,120 | 36,040 |
| New Jersey | $84,170 | 6,450 |
| New York | $80,260 | 14,700 |
| Washington | $79,190 | 9,070 |
| Minnesota | $78,580 | 8,290 |
| Connecticut | $76,690 | 2,810 |
| Rhode Island | $76,030 | 850 |
| Alaska | $75,000 | 3,170 |
| Massachusetts | $72,800 | 10,360 |
| Nevada | $72,780 | 5,760 |
| Wisconsin | $72,650 | 8,320 |
| Indiana | $72,370 | 11,230 |
| District of Columbia | $69,050 | 560 |
| Oregon | $68,210 | 5,450 |
| Wyoming | $63,560 | 3,880 |
| New Hampshire | $62,770 | 1,530 |
| North Dakota | $62,760 | 4,690 |
| Michigan | $62,550 | 9,420 |
| Ohio | $62,410 | 16,510 |
| Colorado | $61,570 | 12,050 |
| Iowa | $61,210 | 5,440 |
| Maryland | $60,620 | 6,470 |
| Montana | $60,130 | 3,610 |
| Missouri | $60,050 | 8,750 |
| Arizona | $59,900 | 13,520 |
| Utah | $59,760 | 6,320 |
| Idaho | $59,140 | 4,090 |
| Pennsylvania | $58,580 | 20,680 |
| Nebraska | $57,240 | 3,180 |
| Kentucky | $57,060 | 7,020 |
| South Dakota | $56,720 | 2,080 |
| Delaware | $56,630 | 1,190 |
| Vermont | $56,260 | 1,160 |
| Maine | $55,170 | 1,980 |
| Virginia | $52,240 | 11,280 |
| Kansas | $50,600 | 6,850 |
| West Virginia | $50,010 | 7,940 |
| Louisiana | $49,650 | 7,230 |
| Texas | $49,650 | 55,290 |
| New Mexico | $49,130 | 5,000 |
| Tennessee | $49,070 | 10,190 |
| North Carolina | $48,910 | 15,890 |
| Florida | $48,780 | 29,420 |
| South Carolina | $47,480 | 8,430 |
| Oklahoma | $47,190 | 6,690 |
| Virgin Islands | $47,020 | 170 |
| Alabama | $46,870 | 9,640 |
| Georgia | $46,380 | 15,720 |
| Mississippi | $46,020 | 4,150 |
| Arkansas | $45,170 | 5,550 |
| Guam | $39,260 | 570 |
| Puerto Rico | $26,200 | 2,230 |
Highest-paying metropolitan areas
Top 20 by median annual wage.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $117,350 | 4,560 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $115,500 | 1,350 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | $109,740 | 950 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $101,200 | 7,760 |
| Springfield, IL | $99,950 | 230 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $98,830 | 640 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $98,610 | 11,790 |
| Rockford, IL | $96,740 | 280 |
| Decatur, IL | $96,700 | 80 |
| Bloomington, IL | $93,510 | 200 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $93,220 | 8,430 |
| Champaign-Urbana, IL | $92,410 | 160 |
| Vallejo, CA | $91,590 | 530 |
| Kankakee, IL | $90,590 | 90 |
| Modesto, CA | $87,030 | 470 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $85,520 | 4,470 |
| Peoria, IL | $84,160 | 350 |
| Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | $84,130 | 420 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $83,780 | 530 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $82,740 | 2,810 |
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