SOC 47-2073 · Charlottesville, VA metro

Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators Salary in Charlottesville, VA

The average salary for operating engineers and other construction equipment operators in Charlottesville, Virginia is $61,460 a year ($29.55 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $59,790: half of the 310 people in this job in the Charlottesville, VA metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is 9% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($67,884).

$61,460average per year

$29.55 / hourMedian $59,790Take-home ≈ $48,843

  • $46K10th
  • $50K25th
  • $60KMedian
  • $63K75th
  • $86K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

310people in this job
-9%vs U.S. metro average
#1 of 9Virginia metros
99cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators pay range in Charlottesville

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $45,570 a year or less, while the top 10% make $85,700 or more. The middle half of operating engineers and other construction equipment operators in Charlottesville earn between $50,380 and $63,310.

  • $46K10th
  • $50K25th
  • $60KMedian
  • $63K75th
  • $86K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$61,460$5,122$29.55
Median$59,790$4,982$28.75
Entry level (25th percentile)$50,380$4,198$24.22
Experienced (75th percentile)$63,310$5,276$30.44

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

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

On the average salary of $61,460, a single filer in Charlottesville takes home about $48,843 a year, or $4,070 a month and $1,879 every two weeks. Taxes take 21% 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 Charlottesville a good place for operating engineers and other construction equipment operators? Pay vs. cost of living

Prices in the Charlottesville area are in line with the U.S. average (BEA price parity 99.1), so the average $61,460 buys what about $61,989 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.1 times the median wage of all jobs in Charlottesville ($55,180). A typical home costs $473,058, or 7.7 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $61,460 is worth in another city

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

Charlottesville ranks 1st of 9 Virginia metro areas for this job, the best-paid in the state.

All Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators salaries in Virginia

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 Charlottesville: questions

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

$29.55 an hour on average, and $28.75 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

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

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $45,570 a year and the 25th percentile is $50,380, a fair guide to starting pay.

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

About $48,843 a year ($4,070 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $61,460.

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

The average here is 9% less 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 Charlottesville, VA (16820). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 3.0%.
  • 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 0.89, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.

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