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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020

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)
402,870 0.9 % $ 26.58 $ 55,280 0.4 %

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

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 15.85 $ 18.82 $ 23.93 $ 31.56 $ 41.93
Annual Wage (2) $ 32,980 $ 39,150 $ 49,770 $ 65,640 $ 87,220

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 100,790 14.51 $ 26.48 $ 55,090
Utility System Construction 57,030 10.24 $ 28.21 $ 58,670
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 52,860 0.98 $ 22.79 $ 47,400
Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction 51,880 14.50 $ 29.83 $ 62,040
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 17,050 0.78 $ 21.39 $ 44,500

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)
Other Specialty Trade Contractors 100,790 14.51 $ 26.48 $ 55,090
Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction 51,880 14.50 $ 29.83 $ 62,040
Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying 13,480 13.69 $ 23.30 $ 48,460
Coal Mining 5,640 13.06 $ 25.73 $ 53,520
Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction 14,800 12.29 $ 29.21 $ 60,750

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 70 0.01 $ 35.78 $ 74,430
Spectator Sports (8) (8) $ 34.79 $ 72,370
Natural Gas Distribution 1,460 1.36 $ 34.56 $ 71,890
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4242 and 4246 only) (8) (8) $ 33.44 $ 69,560
Building Equipment Contractors 6,810 0.31 $ 31.94 $ 66,440

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.





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 45,340 3.75 1.29 $ 21.54 $ 44,800
California 27,430 1.67 0.58 $ 37.70 $ 78,420
Florida 22,490 2.66 0.92 $ 20.44 $ 42,520
Pennsylvania 20,330 3.69 1.27 $ 27.04 $ 56,240
Ohio 15,520 3.02 1.04 $ 27.49 $ 57,180




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 4,050 15.47 5.34 $ 29.04 $ 60,390
West Virginia 7,460 11.47 3.96 $ 21.72 $ 45,180
North Dakota 3,760 9.39 3.24 $ 26.70 $ 55,540
Alaska 2,680 9.05 3.12 $ 32.96 $ 68,550
Montana 2,890 6.34 2.19 $ 25.67 $ 53,400




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 York 12,960 1.49 0.51 $ 41.20 $ 85,700
New Jersey 4,850 1.28 0.44 $ 39.52 $ 82,200
Illinois 10,550 1.87 0.65 $ 39.08 $ 81,290
Hawaii 1,970 3.43 1.18 $ 39.00 $ 81,120
California 27,430 1.67 0.58 $ 37.70 $ 78,420





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)
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 13,060 4.40 1.52 $ 23.29 $ 48,450
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 10,370 1.17 0.41 $ 46.36 $ 96,440
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 8,400 2.34 0.81 $ 21.09 $ 43,870
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 7,680 1.76 0.61 $ 41.36 $ 86,030
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 6,650 2.53 0.87 $ 20.09 $ 41,790
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 6,340 3.01 1.04 $ 23.61 $ 49,110
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 5,790 0.99 0.34 $ 40.38 $ 84,000
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO 5,540 3.80 1.31 $ 25.70 $ 53,460
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 5,470 2.96 1.02 $ 37.60 $ 78,200
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 5,150 1.70 0.59 $ 25.43 $ 52,900




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 1,640 15.73 5.43 $ 24.62 $ 51,220
Beckley, WV 440 10.80 3.73 $ 19.94 $ 41,480
Midland, TX 950 9.55 3.30 $ 22.89 $ 47,620
Lake Charles, LA 940 9.27 3.20 (8) (8)
Farmington, NM 380 8.86 3.06 $ 25.57 $ 53,180
Morgantown, WV 540 8.73 3.02 $ 21.40 $ 44,500
Fairbanks, AK 250 8.17 2.82 $ 32.89 $ 68,410
Charleston, WV 840 8.16 2.82 $ 21.78 $ 45,300
Grand Junction, CO 480 8.09 2.79 $ 21.57 $ 44,860
The Villages, FL 240 7.88 2.72 $ 19.28 $ 40,100