Operating Engineer Salary
$36K - $45K
3% of jobs
$45K - $54K
4% of jobs
$54K - $63K
5% of jobs
$69.2K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$63K - $72K
20% of jobs
The median wage is $80.7K / yr.
$72K - $81K
20% of jobs
$81K - $90K
19% of jobs
$93.5K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$90K - $99K
14% of jobs
$99K - $108K
5% of jobs
$108K - $117K
5% of jobs
$117K - $126K
4% of jobs
$126K - $135K
3% of jobs
$36K
$81.5K
$135K
$85,029
/year
$40.88
/hour
Operating Engineer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$85,029
Columbus
Ohio
$82,129
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How much does an Operating Engineer make?
As of Jul 12, 2026, the average annual pay for an Operating Engineer in the United States is $85,029 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $40.88 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,635/week or $7,085/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $135,000 and as low as $36,000, the majority of Operating Engineer salaries currently range between $69,500 (25th percentile) to $94,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $118,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for an Operating Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 24500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
An Operating Engineer in your area makes on average $82,129 per year, or $2,900 (3.411%) less than the national average annual salary of $85,029. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Operating Engineer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Operating Engineer jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as an Operating Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Operating Engineer Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for an Operating Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Palmdale, CA, , with Willow Island, WV, and Mount Sinai, NY, close behind in the second and third positions. Mount Sinai, NY, beats the national average by $30,240 (35.6%), and Palmdale, CA, furthers that trend with another $41,625 (49.0%) above the $85,029 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as an Operating Engineer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
However, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies modestly at 18% between Palmdale, CA, and Nome, AK, , suggesting it may be difficult to see much positive wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may help determine the balance between location and salary for an Operating Engineer role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Palmdale, CA | $126,654 | $60.89 |
Willow Island, WV | $118,094 | $56.78 |
Mount Sinai, NY | $115,269 | $55.42 |
Potomac, MD | $109,928 | $52.85 |
Plainfield, NJ | $108,079 | $51.96 |
Westfield, NJ | $108,049 | $51.95 |
Anoka, MN | $106,739 | $51.32 |
Chittenden County, VT | $106,635 | $51.27 |
Barrow, AK | $105,926 | $50.93 |
Nome, AK | $105,478 | $50.71 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Operating Engineer Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Operating Engineer job category, we found that Heavy Equipment Manager jobs have average salaries similar than Operating Engineer jobs.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Heavy Equipment Manager | $70,470 | $33.88 |
Rock Quarry | $67,007 | $32.21 |
Construction Equipment Operator | $51,524 | $24.77 |
Professional Motor Coach Operator | $48,866 | $23.49 |
Motor Grader Operator | $35,535 | $17.08 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
