Careers / Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators
Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$53,340
United States, 2025
Employment
41,820
United States, 2025
Typical education
Less than a High School Diploma
Job Zone 2
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Operate equipment used for applying concrete, asphalt, or other materials to road beds, parking lots, or airport runways and taxiways or for tamping gravel, dirt, or other materials. Includes concrete and asphalt paving machine operators, form tampers, tamping machine operators, and stone spreader operators.
- O*NET code
- 47-2071.00
- Job zone
- 2
- Experience required
- Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years
Typical tasks
- Start machine, engage clutch, and push and move levers to guide machine along forms or guidelines and to control the operation of machine attachments.
- Fill tanks, hoppers, or machines with paving materials.
- Control paving machines to push dump trucks and to maintain a constant flow of asphalt or other material into hoppers or screeds.
- Observe distribution of paving material to adjust machine settings or material flow, and indicate low spots for workers to add material.
- Coordinate truck dumping.
- Drive machines onto truck trailers, and drive trucks to transport machines and material to and from job sites.
- Inspect, clean, maintain, and repair equipment, using mechanics' hand tools, or report malfunctions to supervisors.
- Set up and tear down equipment.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$38,230
25th percentile
$45,610
75th percentile
$64,720
90th percentile
$92,230
Most important skills
- Operations Monitoring3.6
- Operation and Control3.4
- Monitoring3.3
- Repairing3.0
- Troubleshooting3.0
- Coordination3.0
- Critical Thinking3.0
- Active Listening2.9
- Equipment Maintenance2.9
- Speaking2.9
- Judgment and Decision Making2.9
- Quality Control Analysis2.8
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 7 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
7
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operations Monitoring | 3.6 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Operation and Control | 3.4 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Monitoring | 3.3 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
| Coordination | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Repairing | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Troubleshooting | 3.0 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.0 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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Compare with Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment OperatorsHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside, CA | $126,640 | 310 | 2025 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | $111,360 | — | 2025 |
| HI | $111,360 | — | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $104,530 | 260 | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $96,590 | 270 | 2025 |
| Fort Wayne, IN | $95,510 | 50 | 2025 |
| Madison, WI | $93,610 | 80 | 2025 |
| DC | $91,280 | 70 | 2025 |
| WA | $90,530 | 530 | 2025 |
| Anchorage, AK | $84,190 | 60 | 2025 |
| AK | $83,520 | 80 | 2025 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $83,370 | 140 | 2025 |
| CA | $83,130 | 1,400 | 2025 |
| Rochester, MN | $82,730 | 40 | 2025 |
| Chicago, IL | $80,340 | 740 | 2025 |
| Appleton, WI | $78,260 | 40 | 2025 |
| Hartford, CT | $77,480 | 70 | 2025 |
| CT | $77,480 | — | 2025 |
| St. Louis, MO | $76,800 | 480 | 2025 |
| Youngstown, OH | $74,950 | 50 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.