Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2004

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)
357,080 1.2 % $18.62 $38,730 0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $10.98 $13.19 $17.00 $23.00 $29.34
Annual Wage (2) $22,830 $27,430 $35,360 $47,840 $61,030

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Other specialty trade contractors 81,700 $19.43 $40,420
Local government (OES designation) 55,120 $15.90 $33,070
Highway, street, and bridge construction 53,420 $20.33 $42,280
Utility system construction 39,060 $19.96 $41,520
State government (OES designation) 14,360 $14.48 $30,120

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Scientific research and development services 80 $24.02 $49,960
Power generation and supply 2,510 $22.03 $45,830
Federal government (OES designation) 2,930 $21.61 $44,940
Other support services (7) $21.55 $44,820
Management and technical consulting services 230 $21.23 $44,160

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
Wyoming 2,590 $16.36 $34,030 1.057%
Alaska 2,660 $25.44 $52,910 0.907%
West Virginia 5,820 $16.32 $33,950 0.849%
North Dakota 2,290 $17.29 $35,960 0.719%
Montana 2,550 $17.60 $36,620 0.633%

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Illinois 8,930 $26.62 $55,370 0.156%
Hawaii 1,670 $25.83 $53,720 0.296%
Massachusetts 6,540 $25.75 $53,550 0.209%
California 29,960 $25.64 $53,320 0.206%
Alaska 2,660 $25.44 $52,910 0.907%

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 1,140 $13.44 $27,950 1.476%
Greeley, CO PMSA 670 $17.55 $36,500 0.931%
Johnstown, PA MSA 770 $13.14 $27,340 0.914%
Duluth-Superior, MN-WI MSA 980 $20.73 $43,120 0.886%
Charleston, WV MSA 1,060 $20.24 $42,100 0.837%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
New York, NY PMSA 3,140 $34.32 $71,390 0.079%
Oakland, CA PMSA 3,170 $31.06 $64,610 0.315%
Stamford-Norwalk, CT PMSA 260 $30.57 $63,590 0.130%
Chicago, IL PMSA 4,540 $30.02 $62,450 0.114%
Kankakee, IL PMSA 70 $29.91 $62,210 0.161%

About May 2004 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

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) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include 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.

(7) Estimates not released.

All Construction and Extraction Occupations

May 2004 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2004 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2004 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2004 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2004 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: June 02, 2005