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Operating Engineer and Other Construction Equipment Operator Salary

Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators earn a median $59,850 a year nationally. Construction and Extraction Occupations

U.S. median
$59,850
$28.77 per hour
Range
$42,190 – $101,090
10th to 90th percentile
Employed
478,090
across the U.S.

Operating Engineer and Other Construction Equipment Operator take-home pay calculator

Starts at the national median. Pick your state to see your real paycheck.

Operating Engineer and Other Construction Equipment Operator
Deductions, kids & local tax

2026 tax year. Federal brackets from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32.

Your take-home pay
$50,269
per year · effective tax rate 16.0%
$4,189Monthly
$2,095Twice a month
$1,933Every 2 weeks
$24.17Hourly
  • Federal income tax$5,002
  • Social Security (6.2%)$3,711
  • Medicare (1.45%)$868
  • Texas income tax$0
  • Take-home pay$50,269

Marginal rate: 12% federal + 0.00% state

Pay by experience

PercentileSalaryHourlyTake-home (no state tax)
10th percentile (entry level)$42,190$20.28$36,080
25th percentile$48,680$23.40$41,294
Median (50th)$59,850$28.77$50,269
75th percentile$77,170$37.10$63,119
90th percentile (top earners)$101,090$48.60$79,947

Best cities for operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (after tax & cost of living)

#Metro areaMedianTake-homeReal value*Jobs
1San Jose, CA$124,340$87,302$79,0611,360
2Urban Honolulu, HI$117,630$84,173$75,8581,430
3San Francisco, CA$124,750$87,539$75,7174,080
4Chicago, IL$103,100$76,402$73,7517,930
5Evansville, IN$84,500$65,813$71,904510
6Santa Rosa, CA$105,080$75,845$70,367710
7St. Cloud, MN$79,530$60,895$69,489700
8Appleton, WI$83,010$64,209$69,475480
9Seattle, WA$95,750$76,190$68,5584,860
10Indianapolis, IN$82,190$64,256$67,1463,700
11St. Louis, MO$82,270$63,778$67,0724,190
12Madison, WI$83,060$64,241$66,033680
13Columbus, OH$78,950$62,983$65,9723,290
14Fort Wayne, IN$77,450$61,061$65,960650
15Duluth, MN$75,040$58,041$65,385770
16Kennewick, WA$79,850$65,004$64,953460
17Vallejo, CA$95,100$69,882$64,420630
18Milwaukee, WI$79,430$61,880$63,8352,070
19Sacramento, CA$91,650$67,820$63,5802,920
20Albany, NY$82,540$63,037$63,3121,000
21New York, NY$95,050$71,130$63,19111,430
22Cleveland, OH$71,740$58,109$61,8682,660
23Spokane, WA$74,360$61,142$60,931700
24Minneapolis, MN$83,340$63,316$60,4034,270
25Los Angeles, CA$92,890$68,561$60,3718,780

*Take-home pay in U.S.-average dollars (BEA Regional Price Parities).

Highest-paying cities

Operating Engineer and Other Construction Equipment Operator salary by state

StateMedianTake-homeRangeJobs
Hawaii $115,860$83,062 $62,390 – $129,5902,380
Illinois $97,740$72,897 $49,770 – $123,33012,290
New Jersey $89,660$68,384 $50,760 – $133,3305,980
California $87,160$65,138 $52,760 – $132,21036,020
Washington $81,700$66,306 $57,200 – $125,49010,290
New York $80,980$62,024 $50,190 – $144,92014,490
Indiana $79,580$62,496 $47,630 – $98,85011,520
Minnesota $79,130$60,641 $55,960 – $101,9308,590
Connecticut $78,750$61,474 $60,000 – $106,9202,860
Alaska $77,810$63,569 $62,390 – $103,9003,050
Massachusetts $76,820$59,252 $52,630 – $125,4009,680
Wisconsin $75,280$59,180 $51,370 – $100,1408,140
District of Columbia $74,610$57,915 $50,540 – $98,270620
Oregon $73,430$54,893 $53,410 – $117,3105,630
Nevada $71,410$59,067 $51,050 – $111,2105,410
Ohio $64,940$53,356 $46,850 – $98,10016,920
Rhode Island $63,610$51,522 $52,460 – $98,870970
Wyoming $62,960$52,768 $48,370 – $85,6303,800
Michigan $62,690$50,138 $46,370 – $90,5809,500
Colorado $62,620$50,448 $49,480 – $78,87011,700
New Hampshire $62,200$52,158 $49,770 – $87,7301,330
North Dakota $62,150$52,118 $49,840 – $100,5704,890
Idaho $61,680$49,579 $47,230 – $79,6504,270
Montana $61,580$49,522 $48,130 – $79,8803,750
Maryland $61,410$48,970 $46,760 – $78,8706,610
Utah $60,740$49,217 $47,420 – $75,8807,880
Arizona $60,620$49,581 $47,680 – $79,46013,200
Missouri $60,540$48,916 $43,290 – $94,13010,470
Pennsylvania $60,530$48,958 $46,780 – $94,93022,120
Iowa $60,330$49,014 $46,690 – $87,4605,530
South Dakota $59,500$49,988 $47,260 – $75,8802,050
Vermont $58,870$47,944 $50,270 – $73,8601,280
Nebraska $58,360$47,296 $44,620 – $75,7003,180
Delaware $58,020$46,256 $39,090 – $97,5201,230
Kentucky $57,780$46,702 $44,620 – $80,8907,050
Virginia $57,160$45,635 $40,870 – $78,25012,100
Maine $56,140$44,681 $46,200 – $75,3902,210
New Mexico $52,000$42,684 $44,800 – $69,6905,520
Tennessee $52,000$43,962 $41,600 – $75,43010,660
Louisiana $51,700$42,556 $37,440 – $75,1807,860
Kansas $51,620$41,576 $39,520 – $85,4207,070
West Virginia $51,300$41,821 $36,500 – $76,9707,830
Texas $50,460$42,725 $38,900 – $70,01055,540
Florida $49,400$41,873 $38,820 – $64,02027,510
North Carolina $49,310$40,342 $39,050 – $64,45016,580
South Carolina $48,940$39,724 $38,720 – $64,3308,160
Oklahoma $47,970$39,111 $37,440 – $64,3807,050
Georgia $47,880$38,789 $37,810 – $62,84015,700
Alabama $47,520$38,251 $36,230 – $67,6909,640
Mississippi $47,410$39,110 $36,180 – $67,0304,170
Arkansas $44,520$36,428 $35,520 – $58,6705,800

Frequently asked questions

How much does a operating engineer and other construction equipment operator make?

The national median salary for operating engineers and other construction equipment operators is $59,850 a year ($28.77 an hour). The lowest-paid 10% earn under $42,190 and the top 10% earn over $101,090. Source: BLS, May 2025.

Which state pays operating engineers and other construction equipment operators the most?

Hawaii has the highest median pay at $115,860. After taxes and local prices, San Jose, CA offers the best real take-home pay of any metro area.

How many operating engineers and other construction equipment operators are there in the U.S.?

About 478,090 people work as operating engineers and other construction equipment operators nationwide.

All 180 cities