Pay by state · 54 states
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
- $115,860Hawaii
- National median
- $59,850BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $29,810Puerto Rico
- States reporting
- 54of 54 OEWS areas
All states
Operating Engineer and Other Construction Equipment Operator salary in every state
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.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HIHawaii | $115,860 | $73,200 | $121,780 | 2,380 | $105,374 |
| 2 | ILIllinois | $97,740 | $69,230 | $109,320 | 12,290 | $97,781 |
| 3 | NJNew Jersey | $89,660 | $64,100 | $126,330 | 5,980 | $82,404 |
| 4 | CACalifornia | $87,160 | $65,230 | $125,560 | 36,020 | $78,721 |
| 5 | WAWashington | $81,700 | $64,390 | $114,640 | 10,290 | $76,346 |
| 6 | NYNew York | $80,980 | $60,540 | $112,920 | 14,490 | $75,036 |
| 7 | INIndiana | $79,580 | $58,240 | $93,300 | 11,520 | $85,268 |
| 8 | MNMinnesota | $79,130 | $63,310 | $95,740 | 8,590 | $80,236 |
| 9 | CTConnecticut | $78,750 | $64,720 | $101,610 | 2,860 | $76,006 |
| 10 | AKAlaska | $77,810 | $66,830 | $99,890 | 3,050 | $76,017 |
| 11 | MAMassachusetts | $76,820 | $62,370 | $107,550 | 9,680 | $72,638 |
| 12 | WIWisconsin | $75,280 | $61,520 | $94,610 | 8,140 | $80,004 |
| 13 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $74,610 | $65,450 | $86,280 | 620 | $67,888 |
| 14 | OROregon | $73,430 | $61,200 | $97,840 | 5,630 | $71,042 |
| 15 | NVNevada | $71,410 | $60,710 | $90,030 | 5,410 | $71,425 |
| 16 | OHOhio | $64,940 | $54,430 | $92,930 | 16,920 | $69,998 |
| 17 | RIRhode Island | $63,610 | $61,660 | $83,820 | 970 | $62,192 |
| 18 | WYWyoming | $62,960 | $54,370 | $84,950 | 3,800 | $67,925 |
| 19 | MIMichigan | $62,690 | $54,710 | $78,410 | 9,500 | $65,155 |
| 20 | COColorado | $62,620 | $57,700 | $73,670 | 11,700 | $60,765 |
| 21 | NHNew Hampshire | $62,200 | $57,310 | $73,860 | 1,330 | $59,713 |
| 22 | NDNorth Dakota | $62,150 | $58,180 | $76,430 | 4,890 | $69,864 |
| 23 | IDIdaho | $61,680 | $52,590 | $75,390 | 4,270 | $64,590 |
| 24 | MTMontana | $61,580 | $56,310 | $72,130 | 3,750 | $65,064 |
| 25 | MDMaryland | $61,410 | $49,430 | $70,860 | 6,610 | $58,509 |
| 26 | UTUtah | $60,740 | $51,800 | $65,430 | 7,880 | $61,438 |
| 27 | AZArizona | $60,620 | $51,200 | $65,370 | 13,200 | $60,212 |
| 28 | MOMissouri | $60,540 | $48,290 | $84,400 | 10,470 | $66,662 |
| 29 | PAPennsylvania | $60,530 | $50,790 | $77,780 | 22,120 | $62,036 |
| 30 | IAIowa | $60,330 | $53,610 | $72,660 | 5,530 | $68,743 |
| 31 | SDSouth Dakota | $59,500 | $50,690 | $63,460 | 2,050 | $67,166 |
| 32 | VTVermont | $58,870 | $52,760 | $63,680 | 1,280 | $60,097 |
| 33 | NENebraska | $58,360 | $47,940 | $63,480 | 3,180 | $64,770 |
| 34 | DEDelaware | $58,020 | $46,500 | $66,140 | 1,230 | $58,132 |
| 35 | KYKentucky | $57,780 | $49,040 | $65,720 | 7,050 | $64,087 |
| 36 | VAVirginia | $57,160 | $48,040 | $63,330 | 12,100 | $56,536 |
| 37 | MEMaine | $56,140 | $48,920 | $61,480 | 2,210 | $57,846 |
| 38 | NMNew Mexico | $52,000 | $47,470 | $60,090 | 5,520 | $56,392 |
| 39 | TNTennessee | $52,000 | $46,490 | $59,360 | 10,660 | $56,602 |
| 40 | LALouisiana | $51,700 | $46,440 | $62,230 | 7,860 | $58,612 |
| 41 | KSKansas | $51,620 | $44,720 | $62,030 | 7,070 | $57,312 |
| 42 | WVWest Virginia | $51,300 | $42,630 | $61,690 | 7,830 | $57,320 |
| 43 | TXTexas | $50,460 | $46,120 | $59,990 | 55,540 | $51,990 |
| 44 | FLFlorida | $49,400 | $46,330 | $58,360 | 27,510 | $47,769 |
| 45 | NCNorth Carolina | $49,310 | $45,700 | $57,870 | 16,580 | $52,276 |
| 46 | SCSouth Carolina | $48,940 | $44,960 | $57,780 | 8,160 | $52,203 |
| 47 | OKOklahoma | $47,970 | $41,920 | $56,700 | 7,050 | $54,609 |
| 48 | GAGeorgia | $47,880 | $41,670 | $56,940 | 15,700 | $49,723 |
| 49 | VIU.S. Virgin Islands | $47,650 | $37,430 | $62,390 | 120 | N/A |
| 50 | ALAlabama | $47,520 | $39,780 | $57,540 | 9,640 | $53,500 |
| 51 | MSMississippi | $47,410 | $39,530 | $57,200 | 4,170 | $54,524 |
| 52 | ARArkansas | $44,520 | $38,350 | $49,860 | 5,800 | $51,209 |
| 53 | GUGuam | $39,170 | $38,690 | $45,370 | 650 | N/A |
| 54 | PRPuerto Rico | $29,810 | $26,970 | $36,620 | 2,400 | N/A |
Method
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.
Questions
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.