The highest-paying states for operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment of operating engineers and other construction equipment operators in those states are also shown in the table. As shown in the table, with an annual salary of $85,840, Illinois is the highest paying state for operating engineers and other construction equipment operators. It is followed by Hawaii (average annual salary $82,230). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in April 2023 [1]. For more salary information of operating engineers and other construction equipment operators in a specific state, use the links in the table.
| Rank | State | Average Salary i | Entry Level Salary i |
# of Empl. i |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois | $85,840 |
$44,860 | 12,310 |
| 2 | Hawaii | $82,230 |
$50,760 | 1,710 |
| 3 | California | $79,290 |
$49,830 | 31,940 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $77,780 |
$50,370 | 6,050 |
| 5 | Washington | $76,830 |
$49,840 | 8,060 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $76,240 |
$51,470 | 3,010 |
| 7 | Minnesota | $74,880 |
$50,030 | 7,520 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $69,100 |
$50,170 | 7,890 |
| 9 | New York | $66,520 |
$45,700 | 13,250 |
| 10 | Wisconsin | $66,020 |
$47,210 | 8,800 |
| 11 | Alaska | $65,960 |
$50,120 | 2,350 |
| 12 | Wyoming | $63,350 |
$46,300 | 3,880 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $62,820 |
$45,360 | 510 |
| 14 | Indiana | $61,130 |
$39,360 | 9,990 |
| 15 | Missouri | $60,970 |
$35,590 | 8,230 |
| 16 | Oregon | $60,760 |
$47,350 | 4,780 |
| 17 | Nevada | $60,090 |
$45,490 | 4,330 |
| 18 | Michigan | $59,710 |
$40,360 | 10,090 |
| 19 | North Dakota | $59,320 |
$47,440 | 3,920 |
| 20 | Ohio | $59,190 |
$41,300 | 13,580 |
| 21 | Rhode Island | $58,250 |
$49,020 | 720 |
| 22 | Montana | $57,420 |
$41,700 | 3,620 |
| 23 | Maryland | $56,450 |
$39,720 | 5,610 |
| 24 | Colorado | $54,540 |
$40,620 | 12,040 |
| 25 | New Hampshire | $54,480 |
$39,790 | 1,490 |
| 26 | Utah | $53,190 |
$40,370 | 5,460 |
| 27 | Iowa | $52,020 |
$38,350 | 6,530 |
| 28 | Pennsylvania | $51,480 |
$37,920 | 23,380 |
| 29 | Arizona | $51,190 |
$39,250 | 11,050 |
| 30 | Kentucky | $49,780 |
$36,670 | 6,230 |
| 31 | Idaho | $49,700 |
$39,090 | 3,900 |
| 32 | South Dakota | $49,310 |
$39,340 | 2,000 |
| 33 | Vermont | $48,830 |
$39,360 | 970 |
| 34 | West Virginia | $48,260 |
$31,910 | 7,320 |
| 35 | Maine | $48,210 |
$37,230 | 2,420 |
| 36 | Delaware | $48,120 |
$39,410 | 1,310 |
| 37 | Nebraska | $47,800 |
$38,440 | 3,080 |
| 38 | New Mexico | $47,710 |
$36,960 | 4,660 |
| 39 | Virginia | $47,350 |
$36,120 | 10,600 |
| 40 | Kansas | $46,730 |
$34,440 | 6,570 |
| 41 | Louisiana | $46,700 |
$31,490 | 6,580 |
| 42 | Texas | $46,390 |
$35,150 | 40,490 |
| 43 | Virgin Islands | $46,130 |
$36,040 | 170 |
| 44 | Tennessee | $45,570 |
$34,560 | 7,720 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | $45,520 |
$33,220 | 6,430 |
| 46 | North Carolina | $45,380 |
$35,080 | 14,910 |
| 47 | Florida | $45,220 |
$32,200 | 27,730 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $41,170 |
$32,050 | 7,420 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $41,000 |
$29,860 | 3,910 |
| 50 | Georgia | $40,120 |
$29,790 | 11,680 |
| 51 | Alabama | $40,120 |
$30,720 | 9,910 |
| 52 | Arkansas | $38,920 |
$30,050 | 5,020 |
| 53 | Guam | $37,650 |
$27,890 | 550 |
| 54 | Puerto Rico | $23,050 |
$18,310 | 1,920 |