U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense) / Department of Interior / Engineering Equipment Operating

Job-title file

Engineering Equipment Operating

Design, analyze, and oversee technical systems or infrastructure, ensuring they meet specifications and codes.

721 employees hold this title in Department of Interior. Median total compensation for the role is $69,455, below the department median of $87,331.

Employees: 721
Total payroll: $51.5M
Role median: $69,455
Agency median: $87,331
Comparison: Below

What the records show

Role pay distribution

Pay distribution for this role

$50,213$102,217+

Hover a bar for its range; click to filter the list below.

How total compensation varies among the 721 people in this role. Even for one job title, pay differs with seniority, step, overtime, and tenure. Each bar is a pay range; the far-right bar collects the highest earners.

Compared with the local labor market

Engineering Equipment Operating pay vs. the United States

Across all employers in the United States, the median wage for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators — about 478,090 people — is $59,850. Department of Interior pays a median base salary of $69,309 for this role, 16% above that figure — about the 64th percentile of local pay for the occupation.

Where Department of Interior sits in the local pay range

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$42,190

$48,680

$59,850

$77,170

$101,090

Department of Interior median · $69,309

The bar is the range of annual wages for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators across every employer in the United States, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Department of Interior’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.

Computed over the 718 of 721 people in this role paid at least $25,000in base salary. The rest are part-year or part-time records, whose actual pay isn’t comparable to a full-time annual wage.

Median total compensation for this role at Department of Interior is $69,455, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.

Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.

Compare departments

This role across U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense)

Engineering Equipment Operating is held in 10 U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense) departments. In Department of Interior, the median of $69,455 ranks #6 of 10.

Highest-paying departments for this role

Department of Energy

$121,693 · 14

Presidio Trust

$111,297 · 3

Department of Transportation

$79,459 · 7

Department of Homeland Security

$78,774 · 22

Smithsonian Institution

$77,031 · 3

Department of Veterans Affairs

$66,972 · 226

Department of Agriculture

$66,505 · 472

Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation

$65,740 · 2

Inter Bound and Water Community U.S. Section

$65,135 · 23

Median total compensation for the Engineering Equipment Operating role in other U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense)departments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.

Record list

Employees with this title

Page 2

Stewart Hansen

Engineering Equipment Operating/Department of Interior

2024 total comp

$59,100

Sub-department: Bureau of Land Management
Base pay: $58,916
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $184
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $59,100
Pay grade: 08
Work city: Cedar City
Work county: Iron
Work state: Utah

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $58,916
Basic Pay (before locality): $58,916
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 490190021
Length of Service (Years): 14
Occupation Code (OPM): 5716
Pay Plan (OPM): WG

Stewart Hansen holds the role of Engineering Equipment Operating at Department of Interior based in Cedar City, Utah. In 2024, their total compensation was $59,100. Their pay grade is 08.

Zachary Kunz

Engineering Equipment Operating/Department of Interior

2024 total comp

$59,100

Sub-department: Bureau of Land Management
Base pay: $58,916
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $184
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $59,100
Pay grade: 08
Work city: Cedar City
Work county: Iron
Work state: Utah

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $58,916
Basic Pay (before locality): $58,916
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 490190021
Length of Service (Years): 12
Occupation Code (OPM): 5716
Pay Plan (OPM): WG

Zachary Kunz holds the role of Engineering Equipment Operating at Department of Interior based in Cedar City, Utah. In 2024, their total compensation was $59,100. Their pay grade is 08.

Sean Vargas

Engineering Equipment Operating/Department of Interior

2024 total comp

$58,916

Sub-department: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Base pay: $58,916
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $58,916
Pay grade: 09
Work city: Albuquerque
Work county: Bernalillo
Work state: New Mexico

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $58,916
Basic Pay (before locality): $58,916
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 350030001
Length of Service (Years): 0
Occupation Code (OPM): 5716
Pay Plan (OPM): WG

Sean Vargas holds the role of Engineering Equipment Operating at Department of Interior based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In 2024, their total compensation was $58,916. Their pay grade is 09.

Christopher Holm

Engineering Equipment Operating/Department of Interior

2024 total comp

$58,686

Sub-department: National Park Service
Base pay: $58,686
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $58,686
Pay grade: 08
Work city: Springdale
Work county: Washington
Work state: Utah

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $58,686
Basic Pay (before locality): $58,686
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 491855053
Length of Service (Years): 1
Occupation Code (OPM): 5716
Pay Plan (OPM): WG

Christopher Holm is a Engineering Equipment Operating at Department of Interior based in Springdale, Utah. 2024 total compensation came to $58,686. They are classified at grade 08.

Matthew Bates

Engineering Equipment Operating/Department of Interior

2024 total comp

$58,666

Sub-department: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Base pay: $58,666
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $58,666
Pay grade: 08
Work city: Hardeeville
Work county: Jasper
Work state: South Carolina

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $58,666
Basic Pay (before locality): $58,666
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 451080053
Length of Service (Years): 6
Occupation Code (OPM): 5716
Pay Plan (OPM): WG

Matthew Bates holds the role of Engineering Equipment Operating at Department of Interior based in Hardeeville, South Carolina. In 2024, their total compensation was $58,666. Their pay grade is 08.

Nathan Palmer

Engineering Equipment Operating/Department of Interior

2024 total comp

$58,561

Sub-department: Bureau of Land Management
Base pay: $58,561
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $58,561
Pay grade: 08
Work city: Hines
Work county: Harney
Work state: Oregon

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $58,561
Basic Pay (before locality): $58,561
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 411010025
Length of Service (Years): 4
Occupation Code (OPM): 5716
Pay Plan (OPM): WG

Nathan Palmer holds the role of Engineering Equipment Operating at Department of Interior based in Hines, Oregon. In 2024, their total compensation was $58,561. Their pay grade is 08.

Harold Varnedoe

Engineering Equipment Operating/Department of Interior

2024 total comp

$58,436

Sub-department: National Park Service
Base pay: $58,436
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $58,436
Pay grade: 10
Work city: Gatlinburg
Work county: Sevier
Work state: Tennessee

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $58,436
Basic Pay (before locality): $58,436
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 470920155
Length of Service (Years): 17
Occupation Code (OPM): 5716
Pay Plan (OPM): XA

Harold Varnedoe holds the role of Engineering Equipment Operating at Department of Interior based in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. In 2024, their total compensation was $58,436. Their pay grade is 10.

Carl Mann

Engineering Equipment Operating/Department of Interior

2024 total comp

$58,353

Sub-department: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Base pay: $58,353
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $58,353
Pay grade: 08
Work city: Manteo
Work county: Dare
Work state: North Carolina

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $58,353
Basic Pay (before locality): $58,353
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 372870055
Length of Service (Years): 0
Occupation Code (OPM): 5716
Pay Plan (OPM): WG

Carl Mann is a Engineering Equipment Operating at Department of Interior based in Manteo, North Carolina. 2024 total compensation came to $58,353. They are classified at grade 08.

Thomas Bentley

Engineering Equipment Operating/Department of Interior

2024 total comp

$58,336

Sub-department: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Base pay: $58,060
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $276
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $58,336
Pay grade: 09
Work city: Crossett
Work county: Ashley
Work state: Arkansas

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $58,060
Basic Pay (before locality): $58,060
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 050920003
Length of Service (Years): 1
Occupation Code (OPM): 5716
Pay Plan (OPM): WG

Thomas Bentley holds the role of Engineering Equipment Operating at Department of Interior based in Crossett, Arkansas. In 2024, their total compensation was $58,336. Their pay grade is 09.

Ronald Drake

Engineering Equipment Operating/Department of Interior

2024 total comp

$58,290

Sub-department: National Park Service
Base pay: $58,290
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $58,290
Pay grade: 08
Work city: Yosemite National Park
Work county: Mariposa
Work state: California

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $58,290
Basic Pay (before locality): $58,290
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 064265043
Length of Service (Years): 7
Occupation Code (OPM): 5716
Pay Plan (OPM): WG

Ronald Drake holds the role of Engineering Equipment Operating at Department of Interior based in Yosemite National Park, California. In 2024, their total compensation was $58,290. Their pay grade is 08.

Glenn Payton

Engineering Equipment Operating/Department of Interior

2024 total comp

$58,290

Sub-department: National Park Service
Base pay: $58,290
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $58,290
Pay grade: 08
Work city: Yosemite National Park
Work county: Mariposa
Work state: California

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $58,290
Basic Pay (before locality): $58,290
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 064265043
Length of Service (Years): 1
Occupation Code (OPM): 5716
Pay Plan (OPM): WG

Glenn Payton holds the role of Engineering Equipment Operating at Department of Interior based in Yosemite National Park, California. In 2024, their total compensation was $58,290. Their pay grade is 08.

Tyler Roberts

Engineering Equipment Operating/Department of Interior

2024 total comp

$58,290

Sub-department: National Park Service
Base pay: $58,290
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $58,290
Pay grade: 08
Work city: Yosemite National Park
Work county: Mariposa
Work state: California

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $58,290
Basic Pay (before locality): $58,290
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 064265043
Length of Service (Years): 2
Occupation Code (OPM): 5716
Pay Plan (OPM): WG

Tyler Roberts holds the role of Engineering Equipment Operating at Department of Interior based in Yosemite National Park, California. In 2024, their total compensation was $58,290. Their pay grade is 08.

Jacob Mccamic

Engineering Equipment Operating/Department of Interior

2024 total comp

$58,269

Sub-department: National Park Service
Base pay: $58,269
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $58,269
Pay grade: 08
Work city: Bar Harbor
Work county: Hancock
Work state: Maine

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $58,269
Basic Pay (before locality): $58,269
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 230300009
Length of Service (Years): 4
Occupation Code (OPM): 5716
Pay Plan (OPM): WL

At Department of Interior, Jacob Mccamic serves as a Engineering Equipment Operating based in Bar Harbor, Maine. Their 2024 pay totaled $58,269. They are classified at grade 08.