Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators Salary in Wilmington, NC
In the 2025 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS dataset, Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators in Wilmington, NC have a median annual salary of $47,910, with 790 recorded jobs in this area. Recorded earnings range from $37,300 at the 10th percentile to $62,050 at the 90th percentile.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS · Data year: 2025 · Last updated: 2026-09-22
Salary overview
Median annual salary
$47,910
Data year: 2025
Hourly median
$23.03
Employment
790
Source
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS
Salary distribution
Local compared with national
Wilmington, NC
$47,910
Median annual · 2025
United States
$59,850
Median annual · 2025
The Wilmington, NC median is 19.9% below the national median in the available dataset (a difference of $11,940).
Top skills
- 1.Operation and ControlImportance 4.1
- 2.Operations MonitoringImportance 3.3
- 3.Equipment MaintenanceImportance 3.3
- 4.MonitoringImportance 3.1
- 5.Active ListeningImportance 3.0
- 6.TroubleshootingImportance 3.0
- 7.Time ManagementImportance 3.0
- 8.Reading ComprehensionImportance 2.9
- 9.SpeakingImportance 2.9
- 10.Critical ThinkingImportance 2.9
- 11.Active LearningImportance 2.9
- 12.CoordinationImportance 2.9
Career information
Education and experience
- Typical education
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
- Experience
- Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years
- Job zone
- 2
Technology used
- Maintenance record software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft Windows
- Work record software
Common tasks
- Learn and follow safety regulations.
- Take actions to avoid potential hazards or obstructions, such as utility lines, other equipment, other workers, or falling objects.
- Start engines, move throttles, switches, or levers, or depress pedals to operate machines, such as bulldozers, trench excavators, road graders, or backhoes.
- Coordinate machine actions with other activities, positioning or moving loads in response to hand or audio signals from crew members.
- Align machines, cutterheads, or depth gauge makers with reference stakes and guidelines or ground or position equipment, following hand signals of other workers.
- Locate underground services, such as pipes or wires, prior to beginning work.
- Signal operators to guide movement of tractor-drawn machines.
- Repair and maintain equipment, making emergency adjustments or assisting with major repairs as necessary.
- Load and move dirt, rocks, equipment, or other materials, using trucks, crawler tractors, power cranes, shovels, graders, or related equipment.
- Drive and maneuver equipment equipped with blades in successive passes over working areas to remove topsoil, vegetation, or rocks or to distribute and level earth or terrain.
Related careers
Occupations recorded as related in the dataset. A relationship does not imply a guaranteed transition.
- Dredge Operators
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, General
- Maintenance Workers, Machinery
- Industrial Machinery Mechanics
- Highway Maintenance Workers
- Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators
- Riggers
- Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining
- Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas
- Helpers--Extraction Workers
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators salary in other locations
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- Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators Salary in Chicago, ILMedian $103,100
- Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators Salary in Olympia, WAMedian $103,060
- Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators Salary in Decatur, ILMedian $100,520
- Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators Salary in Michigan City, INMedian $98,120
- Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators Salary in Waterloo, IAMedian $97,770
- Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators Salary in ILMedian $97,740
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