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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022

47-2073 Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators

Operate one or several types of power construction equipment, such as motor graders, bulldozers, scrapers, compressors, pumps, derricks, shovels, tractors, or front-end loaders to excavate, move, and grade earth, erect structures, or pour concrete or other hard surface pavement. May repair and maintain equipment in addition to other duties. Excludes “Extraction Workers” (47-5000) and “Crane and Tower Operators” (53-7021).

National estimates for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
Industry profile for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
Geographic profile for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators

National estimates for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
423,040 0.7 % $ 28.57 $ 59,420 0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 17.67 $ 21.07 $ 24.73 $ 32.85 $ 44.74
Annual Wage (2) $ 36,750 $ 43,820 $ 51,430 $ 68,330 $ 93,060

Industry profile for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Other Specialty Trade Contractors 107,310 14.17 $ 28.37 $ 59,010
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 60,550 1.13 $ 25.70 $ 53,460
Utility System Construction 53,830 9.63 $ 31.11 $ 64,710
Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction 50,960 14.17 $ 33.86 $ 70,430
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 15,880 0.75 $ 22.59 $ 46,980

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction 50,960 14.17 $ 33.86 $ 70,430
Other Specialty Trade Contractors 107,310 14.17 $ 28.37 $ 59,010
Coal Mining 5,000 12.80 $ 30.04 $ 62,480
Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction 15,750 12.68 $ 30.95 $ 64,380
Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying 9,630 9.99 $ 23.76 $ 49,410

Top paying industries for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Natural Gas Distribution 1,110 1.01 $ 41.45 $ 86,210
Scientific Research and Development Services 60 0.01 $ 41.00 $ 85,280
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 1,660 0.44 $ 37.65 $ 78,310
Other Pipeline Transportation 50 0.68 $ 37.18 $ 77,340
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas 280 0.90 $ 34.42 $ 71,600

Geographic profile for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators, see the Create Customized Tables function.



Map of employment of operating engineers and other construction equipment operators by state, May 2022


States with the highest employment level in Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Texas 40,490 3.12 1.09 $ 22.70 $ 47,220
California 31,940 1.81 0.63 $ 40.19 $ 83,600
Florida 27,730 3.01 1.05 $ 25.95 $ 53,980
Pennsylvania 23,380 4.02 1.41 $ 28.03 $ 58,310
North Carolina 14,910 3.21 1.12 $ 21.88 $ 45,500


Map of location quotient of operating engineers and other construction equipment operators by state, May 2022


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Wyoming 3,880 14.46 5.05 $ 30.99 $ 64,460
West Virginia 7,320 10.80 3.77 $ 24.75 $ 51,480
North Dakota 3,920 9.67 3.38 $ 29.49 $ 61,340
Alaska 2,350 7.66 2.68 $ 33.14 $ 68,930
Montana 3,620 7.40 2.59 $ 27.73 $ 57,690


Map of annual mean wages of operating engineers and other construction equipment operators by state, May 2022


Top paying states for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New Jersey 6,050 1.47 0.51 $ 40.80 $ 84,860
Hawaii 1,710 2.88 1.01 $ 40.31 $ 83,850
California 31,940 1.81 0.63 $ 40.19 $ 83,600
New York 13,250 1.45 0.51 $ 39.59 $ 82,360
Illinois 12,310 2.09 0.73 $ 39.56 $ 82,280



Map of employment of operating engineers and other construction equipment operators by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 11,200 1.22 0.43 $ 44.79 $ 93,170
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 10,240 3.35 1.17 $ 23.75 $ 49,400
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 8,000 2.10 0.74 $ 23.14 $ 48,130
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 7,950 1.80 0.63 $ 41.29 $ 85,880
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 7,500 1.23 0.43 $ 40.49 $ 84,210
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 7,360 2.80 0.98 (8) (8)
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 6,520 2.94 1.03 $ 27.26 $ 56,700
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 6,050 2.18 0.76 $ 32.75 $ 68,110
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 5,830 1.93 0.67 $ 27.79 $ 57,810
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 5,620 2.06 0.72 $ 22.80 $ 47,430


Map of location quotient of operating engineers and other construction equipment operators by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Greeley, CO 1,190 11.03 3.86 $ 26.34 $ 54,780
Farmington, NM 460 10.49 3.67 $ 26.41 $ 54,940
Fairbanks, AK 350 10.16 3.55 $ 32.66 $ 67,930
Midland, TX 1,040 9.91 3.46 $ 24.94 $ 51,880
Beckley, WV 390 9.60 3.35 $ 24.19 $ 50,300
The Villages, FL 350 9.59 3.35 $ 21.45 $ 44,610
Wheeling, WV-OH 500 8.49 2.97 $ 27.84 $ 57,900
Morgantown, WV 540 8.42 2.94 $ 25.53 $ 53,100
Parkersburg-Vienna, WV 290 8.13 2.84 $ 22.39 $ 46,570
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH 1,030 8.07 2.82 $ 29.63 $ 61,630