Sort by any column. Employment is the number of operating engineers and other construction equipment operators OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
Operating Engineer and Other Construction Equipment Operator Salary by State (2026)
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators earn the most in Hawaii at $115,860 a year and the least in Puerto Rico at $29,810 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $59,850. All 54 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $115,860
- National median
- $59,850
- Lowest median
- $29,810
- States reporting
- 54
Hawaii
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Puerto Rico
of 54 OEWS areas
Top 5 states for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
- 1. Hawaii$115,860 median · $105,374 adjusted · 2,380 employed
- 2. Illinois$97,740 median · $97,781 adjusted · 12,290 employed
- 3. New Jersey$89,660 median · $82,404 adjusted · 5,980 employed
- 4. California$87,160 median · $78,721 adjusted · 36,020 employed
- 5. Washington$81,700 median · $76,346 adjusted · 10,290 employed
Lowest-paying states for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
- 54. Puerto Rico$29,810 median · no price parity · 2,400 employed
- 53. Guam$39,170 median · no price parity · 650 employed
- 52. Arkansas$44,520 median · $51,209 adjusted · 5,800 employed
- 51. Mississippi$47,410 median · $54,524 adjusted · 4,170 employed
- 50. Alabama$47,520 median · $53,500 adjusted · 9,640 employed
Operating Engineer and Other Construction Equipment Operator salary in every state
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | $115,860 | $73,200 | $121,780 | 2,380 | $105,374 |
| 2 | Illinois | $97,740 | $69,230 | $109,320 | 12,290 | $97,781 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $89,660 | $64,100 | $126,330 | 5,980 | $82,404 |
| 4 | California | $87,160 | $65,230 | $125,560 | 36,020 | $78,721 |
| 5 | Washington | $81,700 | $64,390 | $114,640 | 10,290 | $76,346 |
| 6 | New York | $80,980 | $60,540 | $112,920 | 14,490 | $75,036 |
| 7 | Indiana | $79,580 | $58,240 | $93,300 | 11,520 | $85,268 |
| 8 | Minnesota | $79,130 | $63,310 | $95,740 | 8,590 | $80,236 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $78,750 | $64,720 | $101,610 | 2,860 | $76,006 |
| 10 | Alaska | $77,810 | $66,830 | $99,890 | 3,050 | $76,017 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $76,820 | $62,370 | $107,550 | 9,680 | $72,638 |
| 12 | Wisconsin | $75,280 | $61,520 | $94,610 | 8,140 | $80,004 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $74,610 | $65,450 | $86,280 | 620 | $67,888 |
| 14 | Oregon | $73,430 | $61,200 | $97,840 | 5,630 | $71,042 |
| 15 | Nevada | $71,410 | $60,710 | $90,030 | 5,410 | $71,425 |
| 16 | Ohio | $64,940 | $54,430 | $92,930 | 16,920 | $69,998 |
| 17 | Rhode Island | $63,610 | $61,660 | $83,820 | 970 | $62,192 |
| 18 | Wyoming | $62,960 | $54,370 | $84,950 | 3,800 | $67,925 |
| 19 | Michigan | $62,690 | $54,710 | $78,410 | 9,500 | $65,155 |
| 20 | Colorado | $62,620 | $57,700 | $73,670 | 11,700 | $60,765 |
| 21 | New Hampshire | $62,200 | $57,310 | $73,860 | 1,330 | $59,713 |
| 22 | North Dakota | $62,150 | $58,180 | $76,430 | 4,890 | $69,864 |
| 23 | Idaho | $61,680 | $52,590 | $75,390 | 4,270 | $64,590 |
| 24 | Montana | $61,580 | $56,310 | $72,130 | 3,750 | $65,064 |
| 25 | Maryland | $61,410 | $49,430 | $70,860 | 6,610 | $58,509 |
| 26 | Utah | $60,740 | $51,800 | $65,430 | 7,880 | $61,438 |
| 27 | Arizona | $60,620 | $51,200 | $65,370 | 13,200 | $60,212 |
| 28 | Missouri | $60,540 | $48,290 | $84,400 | 10,470 | $66,662 |
| 29 | Pennsylvania | $60,530 | $50,790 | $77,780 | 22,120 | $62,036 |
| 30 | Iowa | $60,330 | $53,610 | $72,660 | 5,530 | $68,743 |
| 31 | South Dakota | $59,500 | $50,690 | $63,460 | 2,050 | $67,166 |
| 32 | Vermont | $58,870 | $52,760 | $63,680 | 1,280 | $60,097 |
| 33 | Nebraska | $58,360 | $47,940 | $63,480 | 3,180 | $64,770 |
| 34 | Delaware | $58,020 | $46,500 | $66,140 | 1,230 | $58,132 |
| 35 | Kentucky | $57,780 | $49,040 | $65,720 | 7,050 | $64,087 |
| 36 | Virginia | $57,160 | $48,040 | $63,330 | 12,100 | $56,536 |
| 37 | Maine | $56,140 | $48,920 | $61,480 | 2,210 | $57,846 |
| 38 | New Mexico | $52,000 | $47,470 | $60,090 | 5,520 | $56,392 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $52,000 | $46,490 | $59,360 | 10,660 | $56,602 |
| 40 | Louisiana | $51,700 | $46,440 | $62,230 | 7,860 | $58,612 |
| 41 | Kansas | $51,620 | $44,720 | $62,030 | 7,070 | $57,312 |
| 42 | West Virginia | $51,300 | $42,630 | $61,690 | 7,830 | $57,320 |
| 43 | Texas | $50,460 | $46,120 | $59,990 | 55,540 | $51,990 |
| 44 | Florida | $49,400 | $46,330 | $58,360 | 27,510 | $47,769 |
| 45 | North Carolina | $49,310 | $45,700 | $57,870 | 16,580 | $52,276 |
| 46 | South Carolina | $48,940 | $44,960 | $57,780 | 8,160 | $52,203 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $47,970 | $41,920 | $56,700 | 7,050 | $54,609 |
| 48 | Georgia | $47,880 | $41,670 | $56,940 | 15,700 | $49,723 |
| 49 | U.S. Virgin Islands | $47,650 | $37,430 | $62,390 | 120 | N/A |
| 50 | Alabama | $47,520 | $39,780 | $57,540 | 9,640 | $53,500 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $47,410 | $39,530 | $57,200 | 4,170 | $54,524 |
| 52 | Arkansas | $44,520 | $38,350 | $49,860 | 5,800 | $51,209 |
| 53 | Guam | $39,170 | $38,690 | $45,370 | 650 | N/A |
| 54 | Puerto Rico | $29,810 | $26,970 | $36,620 | 2,400 | N/A |
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators, that changes the ranking: Hawaii leads on raw pay at $115,860, while Hawaii leads once prices are taken into account at $105,374.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Operating Engineer and Other Construction Equipment Operator pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators the most?
Hawaii reports the highest median wage for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators at $115,860 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Illinois ($97,740) and New Jersey ($89,660).
Which state pays Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators the least?
Puerto Rico reports the lowest median for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators at $29,810 a year, $86,050 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Hawaii first at $105,374 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $115,860. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
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