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.
- O*NET-SOC code
47-2073.00 - Preparation Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
Wages
Median annual wage, U.S.$59,850
Employment, U.S.478,090
Median hourly wage$28.78
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $42,190 | $48,680 | $59,850 | $77,170 | $101,090 |
By state (51)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 9,640 | $47,520 | 1.48 |
| Alaska | 3,050 | $77,810 | 3.05 |
| Arizona | 13,200 | $60,620 | 1.33 |
| Arkansas | 5,800 | $44,520 | 1.45 |
| California | 36,020 | $87,160 | 0.64 |
| Colorado | 11,700 | $62,620 | 1.32 |
| Connecticut | 2,860 | $78,750 | 0.55 |
| Delaware | 1,230 | $58,020 | 0.82 |
| District of Columbia | 620 | $74,610 | 0.29 |
| Florida | 27,510 | $49,400 | 0.90 |
| Georgia | 15,700 | $47,880 | 1.04 |
| Hawaii | 2,380 | $115,860 | 1.23 |
| Idaho | 4,270 | $61,680 | 1.62 |
| Illinois | 12,290 | $97,740 | 0.66 |
| Indiana | 11,520 | $79,580 | 1.17 |
| Iowa | 5,530 | $60,330 | 1.15 |
| Kansas | 7,070 | $51,620 | 1.60 |
| Kentucky | 7,050 | $57,780 | 1.15 |
| Louisiana | 7,860 | $51,700 | 1.32 |
| Maine | 2,210 | $56,140 | 1.12 |
| Maryland | 6,610 | $61,410 | 0.78 |
| Massachusetts | 9,680 | $76,820 | 0.87 |
| Michigan | 9,500 | $62,690 | 0.70 |
| Minnesota | 8,590 | $79,130 | 0.95 |
| Mississippi | 4,170 | $47,410 | 1.17 |
| Missouri | 10,470 | $60,540 | 1.16 |
| Montana | 3,750 | $61,580 | 2.38 |
| Nebraska | 3,180 | $58,360 | 1.01 |
| Nevada | 5,410 | $71,410 | 1.13 |
| New Hampshire | 1,330 | $62,200 | 0.63 |
| New Jersey | 5,980 | $89,660 | 0.45 |
| New Mexico | 5,520 | $52,000 | 2.06 |
| New York | 14,490 | $80,980 | 0.49 |
| North Carolina | 16,580 | $49,310 | 1.09 |
| North Dakota | 4,890 | $62,150 | 3.70 |
| Ohio | 16,920 | $64,940 | 0.99 |
| Oklahoma | 7,050 | $47,970 | 1.34 |
| Oregon | 5,630 | $73,430 | 0.93 |
| Pennsylvania | 22,120 | $60,530 | 1.19 |
| Rhode Island | 970 | $63,610 | 0.63 |
| South Carolina | 8,160 | $48,940 | 1.15 |
| South Dakota | 2,050 | $59,500 | 1.46 |
| Tennessee | 10,660 | $52,000 | 1.06 |
| Texas | 55,540 | $50,460 | 1.28 |
| Utah | 7,880 | $60,740 | 1.48 |
| Vermont | 1,280 | $58,870 | 1.37 |
| Virginia | 12,100 | $57,160 | 0.96 |
| Washington | 10,290 | $81,700 | 0.94 |
| West Virginia | 7,830 | $51,300 | 3.63 |
| Wisconsin | 8,140 | $75,280 | 0.90 |
| Wyoming | 3,800 | $62,960 | 4.40 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crane and Tower Operators | 3 | 0.973 |
| 2 | Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining | 1-2 | 0.970 |
| 3 | Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining | 1-2 | 0.961 |
| 4 | Agricultural Equipment Operators | 1-2 | 0.961 |
| 5 | Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas | 1-2 | 0.958 |
| 6 | Dredge Operators | 1-2 | 0.958 |
| 7 | Helpers--Extraction Workers | 1-2 | 0.957 |
| 8 | Logging Equipment Operators | 1-2 | 0.956 |
| 9 | Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas | 1-2 | 0.954 |
| 10 | Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers | 1-2 | 0.950 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining | Equipment Selection | 0.76 | 0.970 |
| Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | Quality Control Analysis | 1.13 | 0.948 |
| Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders | Writing | 0.87 | 0.945 |
| Boilermakers | Equipment Selection | 0.88 | 0.944 |
| Segmental Pavers | Coordination | 0.87 | 0.938 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators, excluding software Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Global positioning system GPS software | 3 of 20 | 4.1x |
| Autodesk AutoCAD | 3 of 20 | 0.8x |
| SAP software | 5 of 20 | 0.8x |
| Email software | 3 of 20 | 0.5x |
| Web browser software | 3 of 20 | 0.3x |
| Microsoft Word | 12 of 20 | 0.7x |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | 6 of 20 | 0.4x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 4.12 | 4.12 |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 2.88 | 2.62 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.62 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.62 |
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 2.88 | 2.50 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 2.88 | 2.50 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.38 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 2.38 | 2.38 |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 2.38 | 2.12 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 2.25 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 2.12 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.00 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 1.25 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 1.00 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 0.88 |
| Science | Essential skill | 1.50 | 0.62 |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.38 | 0.62 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.12 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanical | 3.56 | 4.36 |
| English Language | 3.33 | 3.11 |
| Public Safety and Security | 3.13 | 3.07 |
| Mathematics | 2.81 | 3.16 |
| Administration and Management | 2.78 | 2.63 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 2.73 | 2.56 |
| Education and Training | 2.59 | 2.72 |
| Transportation | 2.54 | 2.51 |
| Building and Construction | 2.46 | 2.25 |
| Engineering and Technology | 2.35 | 2.29 |
| Design | 2.24 | not rated |
| Law and Government | 2.16 | not rated |
| Production and Processing | 2.02 | not rated |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 1.96 | 1.71 |
| Geography | 1.76 | not rated |
| Communications and Media | 1.69 | not rated |
| Physics | 1.69 | 1.44 |
| Food Production | 1.66 | not rated |
| History and Archeology | 1.66 | not rated |
| Chemistry | 1.59 | 1.35 |
| Biology | 1.53 | not rated |
| Sales and Marketing | 1.53 | not rated |
| Economics and Accounting | 1.50 | not rated |
| Computers and Electronics | 1.42 | not rated |
| Telecommunications | 1.41 | not rated |
| Philosophy and Theology | 1.35 | not rated |
| Administrative | 1.28 | not rated |
| Foreign Language | 1.20 | not rated |
| Psychology | 1.12 | not rated |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 1.05 | not rated |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 1.04 | not rated |
| Therapy and Counseling | 1.04 | not rated |
| Fine Arts | 1.00 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Control Precision | 4.12 | 4.12 |
| Depth Perception | 4.00 | 3.88 |
| Multilimb Coordination | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Near Vision | 3.88 | 3.50 |
| Far Vision | 3.62 | 3.25 |
| Rate Control | 3.50 | 3.38 |
| Reaction Time | 3.38 | 3.88 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Response Orientation | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.25 | 3.00 |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.12 | 3.50 |
| Manual Dexterity | 3.12 | 3.25 |
| Visualization | 3.12 | 3.25 |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Selective Attention | 3.00 | 3.25 |
| Time Sharing | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Auditory Attention | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Information Ordering | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Oral Expression | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Static Strength | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Category Flexibility | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Extent Flexibility | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Spatial Orientation | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Written Comprehension | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Trunk Strength | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 2.75 | 2.38 |
| Peripheral Vision | 2.38 | 2.25 |
| Glare Sensitivity | 2.25 | 2.62 |
| Written Expression | 2.25 | 2.25 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Dynamic Strength | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Originality | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Night Vision | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Sound Localization | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Memorization | 2.12 | 1.88 |
| Stamina | 2.12 | 1.88 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 2.12 | 1.38 |
| Gross Body Coordination | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 2.00 | 1.50 |
| Number Facility | 2.00 | 1.38 |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 1.88 | 1.75 |
| Explosive Strength | 1.75 | 0.62 |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.00 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Microsoft Excel hot
- Microsoft Office software hot
- Microsoft Outlook hot
- Microsoft Windows hot
- Maintenance record software
- Work record software
Where it concentrates
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greeley, CO | 1,550 | 4.22 | $60,690 |
| Fairbanks-College, AK | 430 | 3.82 | $82,390 |
| Beckley, WV | 480 | 3.59 | $59,700 |
| Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ | 770 | 3.46 | $60,830 |
| Farmington, NM | 480 | 3.31 | $55,180 |
| Wildwood-The Villages, FL | 410 | 3.20 | $46,060 |
| Midland, TX | 1,150 | 3.06 | $57,900 |
| Paducah, KY-IL | 460 | 2.98 | $59,000 |
| Parkersburg-Vienna, WV | 330 | 2.97 | $47,450 |
| Charleston, WV | 940 | 2.95 | $57,640 |