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.

Question 1

How much does a heavy equipment operator make?

Accepted Answer

The average heavy equipment operator salary in the United States is $39,822. Heavy equipment operator salaries typically range between $27,000 and $57,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for heavy equipment operators is $19.15 per hour.

Heavy equipment operator salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Heavy equipment operators earn the highest average salary in New Jersey.

Question 2

What state pays Heavy Equipment Operators the most?

Accepted Answer

New Jersey pays Heavy Equipment Operators the most in the United States, with an average salary of $65,211 per year, or $31.35 per hour.

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

You know if you are being paid fairly as a heavy equipment operator if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in Washington you should be paid close to $58,830 per year.

Question 4

What is a good starting salary for a Heavy Equipment Operator?

Accepted Answer

A good starting salary for a heavy equipment operator is $28,000 in the United States. That puts you in the 10th percentile of annual income for a heavy equipment operator in the U.S., which is about what you would expect if you were new to the field. The average salary for heavy equipment operators is $36,918, but that normally requires some level of experience to achieve. Furthermore, a good starting salary for a heavy equipment operator can vary by state.

Question 5

Do heavy equipment operators make good money?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 6

How much do bulldozer drivers make?

Accepted Answer

Bulldozer drivers make around $35,000 to $40,000 in a year. This equals about $15 to $20 an hour for an hourly wage.

The lowest-paid bulldozer drivers are only paid $23,000 a year, while the highest-paid bulldozer drivers can reach over $70,000 in total annual salary. While the lowest paid bulldozer drivers are well below the average salary across all jobs in the United States, the highest salaries are significantly above.

Question 7

How much do heavy equipment operators make?

Accepted Answer

Heavy equipment operators make around $35,000 to $40,000 in a year. This equals about $15 to $20 an hour for an hourly wage.

The lowest-paid heavy equipment operators are only paid $23,000 a year, while the highest-paid heavy equipment operators can reach over $70,000 in total annual salary. While the lowest paid heavy equipment operators are well below the average salary across all jobs in the United States, the highest salaries are significantly above.

Question 8

Is an interaction designer the same as a UX designer?

Accepted Answer

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.

Experience level	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
Entry-level heavy equipment operator	$27,000	$12.98
Mid-level heavy equipment operator	$40,300	$19.40
Senior-level heavy equipment operator	$54,200	$26.04

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	New Jersey	$65,211	$31.35
2	Alaska	$56,247	$27.04
3	Massachusetts	$54,329	$26.12
4	North Dakota	$51,288	$24.66
5	Montana	$45,922	$22.08
6	Washington	$58,830	$28.28
7	Nevada	$48,561	$23.35
8	New Hampshire	$57,250	$27.52
9	Vermont	$49,342	$23.72
10	Mississippi	$46,520	$22.37
11	California	$57,498	$27.64
12	Wisconsin	$49,958	$24.02
13	Idaho	$45,143	$21.70
14	Oregon	$50,964	$24.50
15	Wyoming	$44,821	$21.55
16	Illinois	$52,233	$25.11
17	Minnesota	$50,104	$24.09
18	Pennsylvania	$46,137	$22.18
19	Utah	$41,165	$19.79
20	New York	$51,047	$24.54
21	Rhode Island	$39,917	$19.19
22	Maryland	$40,748	$19.59
23	Colorado	$43,289	$20.81
24	Iowa	$38,681	$18.60
25	Indiana	$42,319	$20.35
26	Nebraska	$39,893	$19.18
27	Hawaii	$40,650	$19.54
28	Ohio	$42,093	$20.24
29	South Dakota	$40,681	$19.56
30	Connecticut	$44,984	$21.63
31	Delaware	$42,060	$20.22
32	West Virginia	$36,871	$17.73
33	District of Columbia	$39,464	$18.97
34	Arizona	$39,291	$18.89
35	Michigan	$39,531	$19.01
36	Virginia	$40,694	$19.56
37	Kansas	$36,970	$17.77
38	Tennessee	$34,130	$16.41
39	Kentucky	$35,209	$16.93
40	New Mexico	$36,342	$17.47
41	Missouri	$39,218	$18.85
42	Oklahoma	$34,314	$16.50
43	Maine	$31,345	$15.07
44	Texas	$34,692	$16.68
45	South Carolina	$30,687	$14.75
46	Louisiana	$32,707	$15.72
47	North Carolina	$33,252	$15.99
48	Alabama	$30,154	$14.50
49	Arkansas	$25,958	$12.48
50	Florida	$31,569	$15.18
51	Georgia	$30,208	$14.52

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Trenton, NJ	$65,145	$31.32
2	Worcester, MA	$54,745	$26.32
3	Reno, NV	$51,751	$24.88
4	Portland, OR	$50,979	$24.51
5	Minneapolis, MN	$50,177	$24.12
6	Madison, WI	$49,507	$23.80
7	Albany, NY	$49,490	$23.79
8	Columbus, MS	$46,438	$22.33
9	Billings, MT	$44,982	$21.63
10	Fort Collins, CO	$43,622	$20.97
11	Indianapolis, IN	$41,942	$20.16
12	Columbus, OH	$41,534	$19.97
13	Salt Lake City, UT	$41,216	$19.82
14	Richmond, VA	$40,519	$19.48
15	Lansing, MI	$39,417	$18.95
16	Saint Louis, MO	$39,382	$18.93
17	Tucson, AZ	$38,427	$18.47
18	Des Moines, IA	$38,231	$18.38
19	Charleston, WV	$35,912	$17.27
20	Austin, TX	$34,708	$16.69

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$57,000	$4,750	$27
75th Percentile	$48,000	$4,000	$23
Average	$39,822	$3,319	$19
25th Percentile	$32,000	$2,667	$15
10th Percentile	$27,000	$2,250	$13

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Crew Foreman	$51,929	$4,327	$24.97	70,468
Operator	$37,928	$3,161	$18.23	159,077
Loader Operator	$36,987	$3,082	$17.78	61,980
Grader Operator	$46,011	$3,834	$22.12	35,424
Field Operator	$42,202	$3,517	$20.29	81,407
Truck Operator	$39,608	$3,301	$19.04	667,980

Heavy equipment operator salary

Average heavy equipment operator salary

$39,822

Average Heavy Equipment Operator Salary

Factors Affecting Salary

Where can a Heavy Equipment Operator earn more?

Heavy equipment operator salaries by experience level