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Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators: apprenticeship hours and pay
O*NET-SOC 47-2073.00
Approved apprenticeship titles
3 apprenticeship titles on the Department of Labor's approved list fall under Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators, trained hybrid, time-based. The shortest approved term is 4,000 hours, for ELEVATING-GRADER OPERATOR (hybrid).
| Title | RAPIDS code | Approach and term |
|---|---|---|
| ELEVATING-GRADER OPERATOR | 0138 | Hybrid: 4,000 to 5,000 hours Time-Based: 4,000 hours |
| MOTOR-GRADER OPERATOR | 0932 | Hybrid: 6,000 to 7,500 hours Time-Based: 6,000 hours |
| Operating Engineer | 0365 | Hybrid: 4,000 to 6,000 hours Time-Based: 6,000 hours |
Time-based programs count hours on the job; competency-based programs move on when the apprentice shows the skills; hybrid programs use both, within a range of hours (29 CFR 29.5(b)(2)). Each registered program sets its own term inside what the approved title allows.
What operating engineers and other construction equipment operators earn, by state
Hawaii has the highest state median for operating engineers and other construction equipment operators ($115,860) and Puerto Rico the lowest ($29,810), across the 54 states with a published figure.
| State | Median pay | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $115,860 | $55.70 | 2,380 |
| Illinois | $97,740 | $46.99 | 12,290 |
| New Jersey | $89,660 | $43.11 | 5,980 |
| California | $87,160 | $41.90 | 36,020 |
| Washington | $81,700 | $39.28 | 10,290 |
| New York | $80,980 | $38.94 | 14,490 |
| Indiana | $79,580 | $38.26 | 11,520 |
| Minnesota | $79,130 | $38.04 | 8,590 |
| Connecticut | $78,750 | $37.86 | 2,860 |
| Alaska | $77,810 | $37.41 | 3,050 |
| Massachusetts | $76,820 | $36.93 | 9,680 |
| Wisconsin | $75,280 | $36.19 | 8,140 |
| District of Columbia | $74,610 | $35.87 | 620 |
| Oregon | $73,430 | $35.30 | 5,630 |
| Nevada | $71,410 | $34.33 | 5,410 |
| Ohio | $64,940 | $31.22 | 16,920 |
| Rhode Island | $63,610 | $30.58 | 970 |
| Wyoming | $62,960 | $30.27 | 3,800 |
| Michigan | $62,690 | $30.14 | 9,500 |
| Colorado | $62,620 | $30.11 | 11,700 |
| New Hampshire | $62,200 | $29.91 | 1,330 |
| North Dakota | $62,150 | $29.88 | 4,890 |
| Idaho | $61,680 | $29.66 | 4,270 |
| Montana | $61,580 | $29.61 | 3,750 |
| Maryland | $61,410 | $29.53 | 6,610 |
| Utah | $60,740 | $29.20 | 7,880 |
| Arizona | $60,620 | $29.14 | 13,200 |
| Missouri | $60,540 | $29.10 | 10,470 |
| Pennsylvania | $60,530 | $29.10 | 22,120 |
| Iowa | $60,330 | $29.01 | 5,530 |
| South Dakota | $59,500 | $28.61 | 2,050 |
| Vermont | $58,870 | $28.30 | 1,280 |
| Nebraska | $58,360 | $28.06 | 3,180 |
| Delaware | $58,020 | $27.89 | 1,230 |
| Kentucky | $57,780 | $27.78 | 7,050 |
| Virginia | $57,160 | $27.48 | 12,100 |
| Maine | $56,140 | $26.99 | 2,210 |
| New Mexico | $52,000 | $25.00 | 5,520 |
| Tennessee | $52,000 | $25.00 | 10,660 |
| Louisiana | $51,700 | $24.86 | 7,860 |
| Kansas | $51,620 | $24.82 | 7,070 |
| West Virginia | $51,300 | $24.66 | 7,830 |
| Texas | $50,460 | $24.26 | 55,540 |
| Florida | $49,400 | $23.75 | 27,510 |
| North Carolina | $49,310 | $23.71 | 16,580 |
| South Carolina | $48,940 | $23.53 | 8,160 |
| Oklahoma | $47,970 | $23.06 | 7,050 |
| Georgia | $47,880 | $23.02 | 15,700 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | $47,650 | $22.91 | 120 |
| Alabama | $47,520 | $22.84 | 9,640 |
| Mississippi | $47,410 | $22.79 | 4,170 |
| Arkansas | $44,520 | $21.41 | 5,800 |
| Guam | $39,170 | $18.83 | 650 |
| Puerto Rico | $29,810 | $14.33 | 2,400 |
Finding a program
The public sponsor file names the organizations that run registered apprenticeships but not the occupations each one trains, so this guide names no sponsor. Search apprenticeship.gov's Apprenticeship Finder for this title, or ask your American Job Center which local programs train it.
Apprenticeship sponsors by state (25,633) · All approved occupations
Sources: apprenticeship.gov approved occupations list (Last-Modified October 8, 2026); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (all industries; blanks are figures BLS does not publish).