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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023

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)
450,370 0.8 % $ 29.89 $ 62,180 0.3 %

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

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 18.47 $ 22.25 $ 27.00 $ 35.08 $ 45.95
Annual Wage (2) $ 38,410 $ 46,270 $ 56,160 $ 72,970 $ 95,570

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 113,460 14.60 $ 29.54 $ 61,440
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) 63,420 1.15 $ 27.11 $ 56,390
Utility System Construction 58,910 10.20 $ 32.22 $ 67,010
Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction 55,430 15.08 $ 34.74 $ 72,270
Nonresidential Building Construction 16,650 1.94 $ 33.02 $ 68,680

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 55,430 15.08 $ 34.74 $ 72,270
Other Specialty Trade Contractors 113,460 14.60 $ 29.54 $ 61,440
Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction 15,280 12.08 $ 31.41 $ 65,330
Coal Mining 5,050 12.05 $ 32.68 $ 67,980
Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying 10,500 10.59 $ 24.94 $ 51,870

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)
Scientific Research and Development Services 80 0.01 $ 42.85 $ 89,120
Natural Gas Distribution 1,340 1.19 $ 42.82 $ 89,070
Other Pipeline Transportation 40 0.52 $ 39.20 $ 81,540
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas 210 0.64 $ 39.10 $ 81,320
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 1,900 0.48 $ 38.69 $ 80,470

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 2023


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 49,120 3.62 1.22 $ 24.04 $ 50,000
California 32,690 1.82 0.61 $ 42.54 $ 88,480
Florida 27,540 2.88 0.97 $ 27.68 $ 57,570
Pennsylvania 21,210 3.57 1.20 $ 28.85 $ 60,010
North Carolina 15,510 3.23 1.09 $ 23.24 $ 48,330


Map of location quotient of operating engineers and other construction equipment operators by state, May 2023


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 4,020 14.68 4.95 $ 30.39 $ 63,220
West Virginia 6,810 9.89 3.33 $ 24.62 $ 51,220
Alaska 2,930 9.42 3.18 $ 36.74 $ 76,420
North Dakota 3,880 9.29 3.13 $ 31.08 $ 64,650
Montana 3,670 7.31 2.46 $ 28.84 $ 60,000


Map of annual mean wages of operating engineers and other construction equipment operators by state, May 2023


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 6,960 1.66 0.56 $ 42.81 $ 89,040
Hawaii 1,700 2.76 0.93 $ 42.56 $ 88,520
California 32,690 1.82 0.61 $ 42.54 $ 88,480
Illinois 11,780 1.96 0.66 $ 41.05 $ 85,380
New York 14,850 1.58 0.53 $ 40.80 $ 84,860



Map of employment of operating engineers and other construction equipment operators by area, May 2023


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 12,660 1.33 0.45 $ 45.96 $ 95,600
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 12,230 3.85 1.30 $ 24.90 $ 51,780
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 10,880 2.74 0.92 $ 24.69 $ 51,350
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 7,900 3.45 1.16 $ 28.93 $ 60,170
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 7,840 1.74 0.59 $ 42.86 $ 89,150
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 7,600 1.23 0.41 $ 43.25 $ 89,960
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 7,410 2.72 0.92 $ 41.68 $ 86,700
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 6,560 2.38 0.80 $ 38.57 $ 80,230
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 6,380 2.26 0.76 $ 23.37 $ 48,620
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 6,050 1.96 0.66 $ 29.31 $ 60,970


Map of location quotient of operating engineers and other construction equipment operators by area, May 2023


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)
Fairbanks, AK 470 13.36 4.50 $ 36.05 $ 74,990
Farmington, NM 520 11.54 3.89 $ 26.89 $ 55,920
Longview, TX 990 10.20 3.44 $ 21.22 $ 44,140
Greeley, CO 1,110 9.94 3.35 $ 27.44 $ 57,060
Manhattan, KS 370 9.16 3.09 $ 27.04 $ 56,250
Parkersburg-Vienna, WV 330 9.11 3.07 $ 21.41 $ 44,540
Odessa, TX 670 8.73 2.94 $ 25.08 $ 52,160
The Villages, FL 320 8.44 2.85 $ 21.95 $ 45,660
Beckley, WV 340 8.18 2.76 $ 24.42 $ 50,790
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 1,260 8.11 2.73 $ 26.14 $ 54,380