Occupational Employment and Wages, 2002

47-2073 Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators

Operate one or several types of power construction equipment, such as motor graders, bulldozers, scrapers, compressors, pumps, derricks, shovels, tractors, or front-end loaders to excavate, move, and grade earth, erect structures, or pour concrete or other hard surface pavement. May repair and maintain equipment in addition to other duties. Exclude "Crane and Tower Operators" (53-7021) and equipment operators who work in extraction or other non-construction industries.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
343,710 1.2 % $18.42 $38,320 0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $10.61 $12.96 $16.94 $22.98 $28.93
Annual Wage (2) $22,060 $26,950 $35,240 $47,790 $60,170

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Other specialty trade contractors 74,740 $19.20 $39,930 1 20
Highway, street, and bridge construction 56,050 $20.46 $42,550 2 12
Local government (OES designation) 54,820 $15.60 $32,450 3 54
Utility system construction 38,290 $19.29 $40,120 4 19
Other heavy construction 15,100 $18.56 $38,610 5 23

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Support activities for water transportation 100 $25.37 $52,770 63 1
Offices of real estate agents and brokers (6) $23.96 $49,840 (6) 2
Pipeline transportation of natural gas 50 $21.89 $45,520 69 3
Power generation and supply 2,400 $21.53 $44,780 17 4
Warehousing and storage 50 $21.23 $44,160 68 5

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Alaska 2,960 $26.33 $54,770 1.033% 107
Wyoming 2,380 $15.95 $33,170 0.990% 210
West Virginia 4,880 $15.57 $32,390 0.716% 270
Montana 2,090 $16.71 $34,750 0.534% 213
North Dakota 1,590 $16.79 $34,920 0.508% 177

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Alaska 2,960 $26.33 $54,770 1.033% 107
Illinois 9,740 $25.88 $53,820 0.168% 120
California 29,000 $25.82 $53,710 0.201% 202
Hawaii 1,690 $25.67 $53,400 0.307% 99
Massachusetts 5,480 $24.87 $51,720 0.171% 178

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Tuscaloosa, AL MSA 840 $13.18 $27,420 1.093%
Cheyenne, WY MSA 310 $13.14 $27,320 0.830%
Pueblo, CO MSA 450 $17.97 $37,380 0.824%
Johnstown, PA MSA 680 $14.12 $29,360 0.810%
Brazoria, TX PMSA 500 $18.14 $37,730 0.660%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
New York, NY PMSA 3,220 $31.25 $65,000 0.081%
Oakland, CA PMSA 2,980 $31.13 $64,740 0.297%
San Jose, CA PMSA 1,250 $30.76 $63,980 0.140%
Yolo, CA PMSA 170 $29.47 $61,300 0.192%
Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA PMSA 2,780 $28.55 $59,380 0.069%

About 2002 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

To see profiles of other occupations, select from the major groups below:

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Data for detailed occupations does not sum to the totals because the totals include data for occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(6) Estimates not released.

All Construction and Extraction Occupations

2002 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2002 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2002 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download 2002 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: November 26, 2003