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Heavy Equipment Operator Salary in Charlotte, NC

Updated

The median heavy equipment operator in the Charlotte area earns $50,870 a year ($24.46 an hour), 15% below the U.S. median ($59,850) and 3% above the North Carolina median ($49,310). Half of the 4,440 heavy equipment operators there earn between $47,710 and $59,230.

Percentiles. Dark: the middle half of earners. Red line: median. Dashed: U.S. median.
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators, May 2025 (latest official data). Metro area: Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC.
Annual payCharlotte areaNorth CarolinaU.S.
10th percentile$41,970$39,050$42,190
25th percentile$47,710$45,700$48,680
Median$50,870$49,310$59,850
75th percentile$59,230$57,870$77,170
90th percentile$70,400$64,450$101,090
Average$55,090$52,310$66,290
Jobs4,44016,580478,090

Charlotte, NC ranks 45th of the 50 largest U.S. metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay. Highest: San Francisco, CA ($124,750).

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Sources

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, www.bls.gov/oes. BLS.gov cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from BLS.gov.