Pay by state · 51 states
Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operator Salary by State (2026)
Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators earn the most in Hawaii at $111,360 a year and the least in Puerto Rico at $29,460 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $53,340. All 51 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $111,360Hawaii
- National median
- $53,340BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $29,460Puerto Rico
- States reporting
- 51of 54 OEWS areas
All states
Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operator salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HIHawaii | $111,360 | $83,300 | $111,370 | N/A | $101,281 |
| 2 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $91,280 | $72,180 | $91,280 | 70 | $83,057 |
| 3 | WAWashington | $90,530 | $73,810 | $102,000 | 530 | $84,597 |
| 4 | AKAlaska | $83,520 | $66,830 | $100,240 | 80 | $81,595 |
| 5 | CACalifornia | $83,130 | $64,270 | $126,640 | 1,400 | $75,081 |
| 6 | CTConnecticut | $77,480 | $61,230 | $96,160 | N/A | $74,780 |
| 7 | IDIdaho | $73,210 | $57,050 | $96,250 | 130 | $76,665 |
| 8 | ILIllinois | $73,060 | $56,000 | $102,240 | 950 | $73,091 |
| 9 | MOMissouri | $69,400 | $48,930 | $92,420 | 1,560 | $76,417 |
| 10 | WIWisconsin | $69,020 | $50,380 | $91,230 | 960 | $73,351 |
| 11 | MNMinnesota | $68,180 | $61,930 | $80,450 | 830 | $69,133 |
| 12 | OROregon | $63,310 | $59,950 | $73,930 | 520 | $61,251 |
| 13 | RIRhode Island | $63,060 | $59,410 | $77,580 | 160 | $61,654 |
| 14 | NYNew York | $62,760 | $56,840 | $98,120 | 4,530 | $58,154 |
| 15 | NHNew Hampshire | $62,080 | $56,780 | $72,540 | 260 | $59,598 |
| 16 | IAIowa | $61,110 | $57,100 | $61,130 | N/A | $69,632 |
| 17 | MAMassachusetts | $60,950 | $55,790 | $77,940 | 560 | $57,632 |
| 18 | MDMaryland | $60,530 | $52,360 | $63,130 | 750 | $57,670 |
| 19 | OHOhio | $60,280 | $47,490 | $79,610 | 2,370 | $64,975 |
| 20 | SDSouth Dakota | $60,140 | $54,830 | $69,680 | 130 | $67,889 |
| 21 | COColorado | $58,810 | $48,810 | $62,610 | 920 | $57,068 |
| 22 | WYWyoming | $58,080 | $51,940 | $65,420 | 160 | $62,660 |
| 23 | MEMaine | $57,020 | $49,590 | $74,670 | 250 | $58,753 |
| 24 | PAPennsylvania | $56,010 | $48,720 | $63,600 | 520 | $57,404 |
| 25 | MTMontana | $55,920 | $48,890 | $68,180 | 260 | $59,084 |
| 26 | VTVermont | $54,830 | $49,930 | $62,050 | 70 | $55,973 |
| 27 | MIMichigan | $54,220 | $45,420 | $62,380 | 1,720 | $56,352 |
| 28 | DEDelaware | $54,020 | $31,200 | $58,580 | 150 | $54,124 |
| 29 | AZArizona | $52,140 | $49,860 | $75,710 | 170 | $51,789 |
| 30 | NVNevada | $51,400 | $46,410 | $64,390 | N/A | $51,411 |
| 31 | WVWest Virginia | $51,230 | $45,370 | $58,390 | 210 | $57,242 |
| 32 | NJNew Jersey | $50,500 | $44,450 | $59,600 | 840 | $46,413 |
| 33 | INIndiana | $50,380 | $46,110 | $67,150 | 910 | $53,981 |
| 34 | KSKansas | $49,070 | $45,900 | $60,450 | 540 | $54,481 |
| 35 | UTUtah | $48,860 | $45,930 | $62,470 | 410 | $49,421 |
| 36 | LALouisiana | $48,450 | $43,570 | $64,020 | 350 | $54,928 |
| 37 | VAVirginia | $48,060 | $43,590 | $57,620 | 1,660 | $47,535 |
| 38 | NCNorth Carolina | $47,820 | $40,630 | $53,890 | 1,940 | $50,697 |
| 39 | TXTexas | $47,060 | $41,620 | $54,610 | 3,940 | $48,487 |
| 40 | SCSouth Carolina | $46,950 | $40,160 | $49,150 | 630 | $50,081 |
| 41 | FLFlorida | $46,840 | $40,140 | $51,950 | 2,740 | $45,294 |
| 42 | OKOklahoma | $46,760 | $44,680 | $50,240 | 550 | $53,231 |
| 43 | GAGeorgia | $46,100 | $39,350 | $49,200 | 1,270 | $47,875 |
| 44 | NMNew Mexico | $45,880 | $39,960 | $51,430 | 990 | $49,755 |
| 45 | NENebraska | $45,760 | $43,480 | $53,480 | 390 | $50,786 |
| 46 | KYKentucky | $45,660 | $40,720 | $49,570 | 110 | $50,644 |
| 47 | ARArkansas | $44,010 | $38,050 | $48,690 | 490 | $50,623 |
| 48 | TNTennessee | $42,510 | $37,770 | $51,740 | 1,730 | $46,272 |
| 49 | ALAlabama | $41,880 | $36,900 | $49,110 | 700 | $47,150 |
| 50 | MSMississippi | $37,030 | $33,460 | $45,260 | 470 | $42,586 |
| 51 | PRPuerto Rico | $29,460 | $27,440 | $32,900 | 230 | 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 Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators, that changes the ranking: Hawaii leads on raw pay at $111,360, while Hawaii leads once prices are taken into account at $101,281.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operator pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators the most?
Hawaii reports the highest median wage for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators at $111,360 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by District of Columbia ($91,280) and Washington ($90,530).
Which state pays Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators the least?
Puerto Rico reports the lowest median for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators at $29,460 a year, $81,900 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping 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 $101,281 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $111,360. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.