SOC 47-2073 · Champaign-Urbana, IL metro

Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators Salary in Champaign, IL

The average salary for operating engineers and other construction equipment operators in Champaign, Illinois is $85,380 a year ($41.05 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $92,900: half of the 160 people in this job in the Champaign-Urbana, IL metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is 26% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($67,884).

$85,380average per year

$41.05 / hourMedian $92,900Take-home ≈ $64,810

  • $58K10th
  • $63K25th
  • $93KMedian
  • $99K75th
  • $113K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

160people in this job
+26%vs U.S. metro average
#6 of 8Illinois metros
93cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators pay range in Champaign

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $57,690 a year or less, while the top 10% make $113,480 or more. The middle half of operating engineers and other construction equipment operators in Champaign earn between $63,120 and $99,020.

  • $58K10th
  • $63K25th
  • $93KMedian
  • $99K75th
  • $113K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$85,380$7,115$41.05
Median$92,900$7,742$44.66
Entry level (25th percentile)$63,120$5,260$30.35
Experienced (75th percentile)$99,020$8,252$47.61

*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.

Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators salary after taxes in Champaign

On the average salary of $85,380, a single filer in Champaign takes home about $64,810 a year, or $5,401 a month and $2,493 every two weeks. Taxes take 24% of gross pay.

Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules).

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Is Champaign a good place for operating engineers and other construction equipment operators? Pay vs. cost of living

Prices in the Champaign area are 7% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 92.7), so the average $85,380 buys what about $92,100 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.8 times the median wage of all jobs in Champaign ($50,700). A typical home costs $237,290, or 2.8 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $85,380 is worth in another city

Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators salary in other Illinois cities

Champaign ranks 6th of 8 Illinois metro areas for this job; Chicago pays the most ($96,370).

All Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators salaries in Illinois

Highest-paying cities for operating engineers and other construction equipment operators

San Jose, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($111,400).

Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators salary by city

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Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators salary in Champaign: questions

How much do operating engineers and other construction equipment operators make an hour in Champaign?

$41.05 an hour on average, and $44.66 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

What is the entry-level operating engineers and other construction equipment operators salary in Champaign?

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $57,690 a year and the 25th percentile is $63,120, a fair guide to starting pay.

What is the operating engineers and other construction equipment operators take-home pay in Champaign?

About $64,810 a year ($5,401 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $85,380.

Do operating engineers and other construction equipment operators earn more in Champaign than elsewhere?

The average here is 26% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($67,884).

Sources and how to read this page

  • Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 47-2073; area Champaign-Urbana, IL (16580). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.9%.
  • Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
  • Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
  • Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules).
  • Job concentration: location quotient 0.48, this job is less common than in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.48).

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