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The differences between operating engineers apprentice and equipment operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an operating engineer apprentice and an equipment operator. Additionally, an operating engineer apprentice has an average salary of $55,924, which is higher than the $31,739 average annual salary of an equipment operator.
The top three skills for an operating engineer apprentice include mechanical equipment, plumbing and CDL. The most important skills for an equipment operator are CDL, loaders, and asphalt.
| Operating Engineer Apprentice | Equipment Operator | |
| Yearly salary | $55,924 | $31,739 |
| Hourly rate | $26.89 | $15.26 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 17,366 | 62,473 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 42% | High School Diploma, 46% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Operating engineers apprentice and equipment operators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Operating Engineer Apprentice | Equipment Operator | |
| Average salary | $55,924 | $31,739 |
| Salary range | Between $43,000 And $72,000 | Between $24,000 And $40,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Indianapolis, IN |
| Highest paying state | - | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | - | Nelsen Partners |
| Best paying industry | - | Energy |
There are a few differences between an operating engineer apprentice and an equipment operator in terms of educational background:
| Operating Engineer Apprentice | Equipment Operator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 42% | High School Diploma, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between operating engineers apprentice' and equipment operators' demographics:
| Operating Engineer Apprentice | Equipment Operator | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.3% Female, 12.7% | Male, 93.0% Female, 7.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 0.9% White, 68.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.9% | Black or African American, 7.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 0.9% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 2% |