How much does an equipment operator make?

The average equipment operator salary in the United States is $31,739. Equipment operator salaries typically range between $24,000 and $40,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for equipment operators is $15.26 per hour. Equipment operator salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Equipment operators earn the highest average salary in Connecticut.

Equipment operator salary

Q: What state pays Equipment Operators the most?

Connecticut pays Equipment Operators the most in the United States, with an average salary of $45,629 per year, or $21.94 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as an equipment operator?

You know if you are being paid fairly as an equipment operator if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in New Hampshire you should be paid close to $44,909 per year.

Q: What is a good starting salary for an Equipment Operator?

A good starting salary for an equipment operator is $24,000 in the United States. That puts you in the 10th percentile of annual income for an equipment operator in the U.S., which is about what you would expect if you were new to the field. The average salary for equipment operators is $30,204, but that normally requires some level of experience to achieve. Furthermore, a good starting salary for an equipment operator can vary by state.

Q: Do heavy equipment operators make good money?

Yes, heavy equipment operators make good money. A heavy equipment operator on average makes $65,500 a year, which is roughly $10,000 higher than the national wage average. A heavy equipment operator can make anywhere between $54,000 and $75,000, with outliers on either side.

Q: Is an interaction designer the same as a UX designer?

No, an interaction designer is not necessarily the same as a UX designer. Although they are often used interchangeably, they generally focus on the overall user experience design process.

Average equipment operator salary

$15.26

$31,739 yearly

Entry-level equipment operator salary

$24,000 yearly salary

Updated December 15, 2025

Average Equipment Operator Salary

The average equipment operator salary is currently around $31,739 per year, translating to about $15.26 per hour. Salaries can vary significantly based on experience, with entry-level positions earning less than those with several years in the field. For instance, operators with 1-4 years of experience can expect to earn approximately $29,000, while those with over 10 years may earn upwards of $40,000 annually.

Regional Variations

Location plays a crucial role in determining salary. States like Washington and California often offer higher wages, with some operators making over $45,000 per year. Conversely, regions with lower costs of living may have salaries closer to $25,000. Factors such as industry demand and regional economic conditions further influence these figures.

Job Opportunities

In addition to competitive salaries, equipment operators benefit from a variety of job opportunities across sectors including construction, mining, and manufacturing. As technology evolves, the demand for skilled operators remains strong, making this a stable career choice.

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Equipment operator salary by:

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Where can an Equipment Operator earn more?

Compare salary by location

53k

33k

13k

-7k

Columbus, OH$35,980

Jacksonville, FL$23,123

Compare salary by company

71k

51k

31k

11k

Nelsen Partners$49,448

York County$41,284

Equipment operator salaries by experience level

Experience level	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
Entry-level equipment operator	$21,500	$10.34
Mid-level equipment operator	$32,200	$15.46
Senior-level equipment operator	$43,200	$20.75

Equipment operator salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Indeed, Glassdoor and Ziprecruiter, the average salary for an equipment operator typically falls between $31,739 and $60,049.

zippia

$31,739yearly

glassdoor[1]

$60,049yearly

indeed[2]

$49,524yearly

ZipRecruiter[3]

$46,435yearly

Average equipment operator salary by state

The highest-paying states for equipment operators are Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. The lowest average equipment operator salary states are Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Florida.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for equipment operators

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Massachusetts	$44,767	$21.52
2	New Jersey	$40,772	$19.60
3	Alaska	$37,540	$18.05
4	Indiana	$35,988	$17.30
5	Pennsylvania	$34,803	$16.73
6	New Hampshire	$44,909	$21.59
7	Connecticut	$45,629	$21.94
8	California	$41,909	$20.15
9	Washington	$39,758	$19.11
10	Illinois	$38,047	$18.29
11	Utah	$33,517	$16.11
12	Iowa	$32,726	$15.73
13	Kentucky	$33,169	$15.95
14	Wyoming	$32,712	$15.73
15	Ohio	$34,294	$16.49
16	Wisconsin	$33,898	$16.30
17	Oregon	$38,017	$18.28
18	North Dakota	$32,005	$15.39
19	Colorado	$35,060	$16.86
20	Minnesota	$35,034	$16.84
21	Vermont	$32,844	$15.79
22	Michigan	$33,722	$16.21
23	Missouri	$33,303	$16.01
24	New York	$36,286	$17.45
25	Rhode Island	$30,344	$14.59
26	Montana	$30,030	$14.44
27	Nebraska	$32,077	$15.42
28	Maryland	$34,787	$16.72
29	Nevada	$31,534	$15.16
30	Maine	$30,499	$14.66
31	Idaho	$29,386	$14.13
32	Hawaii	$30,487	$14.66
33	South Dakota	$30,793	$14.80
34	District of Columbia	$29,991	$14.42
35	Tennessee	$26,887	$12.93
36	West Virginia	$27,794	$13.36
37	Delaware	$30,324	$14.58
38	Kansas	$27,670	$13.30
39	Virginia	$30,644	$14.73
40	North Carolina	$25,987	$12.49
41	Arizona	$27,776	$13.35
42	Georgia	$24,593	$11.82
43	Mississippi	$21,157	$10.17
44	Oklahoma	$23,390	$11.25
45	Louisiana	$23,511	$11.30
46	New Mexico	$27,070	$13.01
47	Arkansas	$21,584	$10.38
48	Alabama	$21,733	$10.45
49	South Carolina	$24,373	$11.72
50	Florida	$22,903	$11.01
51	Texas	$24,068	$11.57

Top equipment operator jobs near you

Highest paying cities for equipment operators

The highest-paying cities for equipment operators are Indianapolis, IN, Albany, NY, and Denver, CO.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Indianapolis, IN	$35,980	$17.30
2	Albany, NY	$35,972	$17.29
3	Denver, CO	$35,206	$16.93
4	Columbus, OH	$34,257	$16.47
5	Salt Lake City, UT	$33,548	$16.13
6	Fargo, ND	$32,132	$15.45
7	Norfolk, VA	$30,452	$14.64
8	Buckeye, AZ	$28,090	$13.50
9	Garden City, KS	$27,027	$12.99
10	Franklin, TN	$26,934	$12.95
11	Raleigh, NC	$26,515	$12.75
12	San Antonio, TX	$24,069	$11.57
13	Columbus, GA	$24,050	$11.56
14	Jacksonville, FL	$23,123	$11.12

Equipment Operators are the most in-demand in these five cities:

Equipment operator salary details

An equipment operator's salary ranges from $24,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $40,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average equipment operator salary graph, trends, and summary

What is an equipment operator's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$40,000	$3,333	$19
75th Percentile	$36,000	$3,000	$17
Average	$31,739	$2,645	$15
25th Percentile	$27,000	$2,250	$13
10th Percentile	$24,000	$2,000	$12

Highest paying equipment operator jobs

The highest paying types of equipment operators are crane operator, heavy equipment operator and foreman, and foreman/operator.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Crew Foreman	$51,929	$4,327	$24.97	70,468
Mechanical Spreader Operator	$42,262	$3,522	$20.32	60,297
Labour Operator	$34,180	$2,848	$16.43	61,894
Loader Operator	$36,987	$3,082	$17.78	61,980
Operator	$37,928	$3,161	$18.23	159,077
Truck Operator	$39,608	$3,301	$19.04	667,980

Top companies hiring equipment operators now:

Which companies pay equipment operators the most?

Equipment operator salaries at Nelsen Partners and City of Detroit are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average equipment operator salary at companies like King County and City of San Antonio are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Nelsen Partners	$49,448	$23.77
2	City of Detroit	$45,659	$21.95
3	King County	$44,131	$21.22
4	City of San Antonio	$43,335	$20.83
5	Medical University of South Carolina	$43,193	$20.77
6	City and County of Denver Government	$43,189	$20.76
7	University of California-Berkeley	$42,982	$20.66
8	Dell	$42,487	$20.43
9	City of Round Rock	$42,409	$20.39
10	The Doe Run Company	$42,253	$20.31
11	Freeport-McMoRan	$41,919	$20.15
12	San Bernardino County	$41,856	$20.12
13	City of Louisville	$41,835	$20.11
14	City of University City, Missouri	$41,648	$20.02
15	Sierra Pacific Industries	$41,584	$19.99
16	Neal	$41,473	$19.94
17	The State of Oregon	$41,422	$19.91
18	City of Tacoma	$41,393	$19.90
19	City of Houston	$41,388	$19.90
20	York County	$41,284	$19.85

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$33,000$32,400$31,800$31,200$30,600$30,000

MaleFemale

Equipment Operator salary by industry

The average equipment operator salary varies across industries:

The average equipment operator salary in the energy industry is $38,765, the highest of any industry.
The average equipment operator salary in the finance industry is $36,669.
Equipment operators in the retail industry earn an average salary of $31,929, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for equipment operators

Rank	Industry	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Energy	$38,765	$18.64
2	Government	$36,669	$17.63
3	Construction	$36,102	$17.36
4	Transportation	$33,847	$16.27
5	Manufacturing	$33,796	$16.25
6	Retail	$31,929	$15.35

High paying equipment operator jobs

Equipment operator salary trends

The average equipment operator salary has risen by $5,268 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average equipment operator earned $26,471 annually, but today, they earn $31,739 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for equipment operators over the last decade.

Compare equipment operator salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average equipment operator salary over time

Compare equipment operator salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Equipment operator salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$31,700	$15.26	+1.6%
2024	$31,200	$15.02	+2.4%
2023	$30,500	$14.66	+1.6%
2022	$30,000	$14.42	+2.4%
2021	$29,300	$14.07	+2.8%

Recently added equipment operator salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
State of New York	Print Equipment Operator 1 (Digital)-NY Helps	Brockport, NY	06/30/2025	$36,232
Skechers	IC Equipment Operator Hybrid	Ione, CA	06/29/2025	$41,740
Its Conglobal	Intermodal Equipment Operator	Kansas City, MO	06/29/2025	$46,060
Yusen Logistics (Americas) Inc.	Equipment Operator I	Chino, CA	06/29/2025	$43,827
Wieland Chase	Assembler and Equipment Operator Weekend	Delaware, OH	06/29/2025	$39,653
Crystal Valley Cooperative	Equipment Operator (Custom Applicator)	Madelia, MN	06/29/2025	$45,914
Bernhard	Equipment Operator	Clarksville, TN	06/29/2025	$39,799
Bolthouse Farms	Equipment Operator I	Bakersfield, CA	06/29/2025	$41,740
Ttm Technologies	Equipment Operator I	Syracuse, NY	06/29/2025	$34,211
Tahquitzgolfresort	Head Equipment Operator	La Quinta, CA	06/29/2025	$42,784

Equipment operator salary FAQs

What state pays Equipment Operators the most?

How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as an equipment operator?

What is a good starting salary for an Equipment Operator?

Do heavy equipment operators make good money?

Is an interaction designer the same as a UX designer?

Have more questions? See all answers to common construction and extraction questions.

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Updated December 15, 2025

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