Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators · SOC 47-2073
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators Salary in the North Carolina
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025North Carolina
Figures describe the state of North Carolina as a whole.
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators in the North Carolina earned a median of $49,310 per year ($23.71 per hour) as of the May 2025 BLS OEWS estimates. Pay ranged from $39,050 at the 10th percentile to $64,450 at the 90th. BLS estimates 16,580 people work in this occupation in the area.
Pay distribution
Half of Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators in the North Carolina earn more than $49,310 per year, half earn less; the middle half earn between $45,700 and $57,870.
| Wage | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual | $39,050 | $45,700 | $49,310 | $57,870 | $64,450 |
| Hourly | $18.78 | $21.97 | $23.71 | $27.82 | $30.98 |
A percentile is a cut point: 25% of workers in this occupation and area earn less than the 25th-percentile wage. The median is the 50th percentile — half earn less, half earn more.
How this area compares
- North Carolina$49,310 median for North Carolina; middle half earns $45,700 to $57,870
- United Statesnational$59,850 median for United States; middle half earns $48,680 to $77,170
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
The median here is −18% vs the U.S. median for this occupation.
Metro areas in North Carolina
Metro areas in the same state with published May 2025 medians for operating engineers and other construction equipment operators, highest first. Areas without published estimates are not listed.
- North Carolinathis page$49,310 median for North Carolina; middle half earns $45,700 to $57,870
- $51,570 median for Burlington metro area; middle half earns $46,180 to $54,350
- $51,110 median for Raleigh metro area; middle half earns $47,950 to $59,690
- $50,870 median for Charlotte metro area; middle half earns $47,710 to $59,230
- $50,820 median for Durham metro area; middle half earns $47,030 to $61,610
- $50,210 median for Pinehurst metro area; middle half earns $43,670 to $57,330
- $49,310 median for Greensboro metro area; middle half earns $44,800 to $53,300
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
Keep exploring
Other occupations in the same SOC group with published medians here, largest employment first:
Highest-paying metro areas for operating engineers and other construction equipment operatorss · Highest-paying occupations in North Carolina
About this estimate
These figures are survey estimates from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — modeled from employer reports collected over three years and benchmarked to May 2025. They describe what employers in this area currently pay across all industries, not what any individual worker will be offered.
Employment counts wage-and-salary jobs in the occupation (self-employed workers are excluded). Estimates carry sampling error; percentile wages are rounded by BLS. Some values are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality or quality — suppressed values appear here as “not published”, never as zero. Read the full methodology.
About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.