Compared with the local labor market
Heavy Equipment Operator pay vs. the Baton Rouge, LA area
Across all employers in the Baton Rouge, LA area, the median wage for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators — about 2,260 people — is $58,210. Development pays a median base salary of $36,606 for this role, 37% below that figure — below the 10th percentile of local pay for the occupation.
Where Development sits in the local pay range
$40,990
$49,070
$58,210
$64,480
$76,720
Development median · $36,606
The bar is the range of annual wages for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators across every employer in the Baton Rouge, LA area, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Development’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.
And across the country
Nationwide, the median wage for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators — about 478,090 people — is $59,850. Development’s median base salary is 39% below that national figure, below the 10th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.
$42,190
$48,680
$59,850
$77,170
$101,090
Development median · $36,606
Local and national wages differ for reasons beyond how well a job pays — cost of living, the mix of employers, and local demand for the occupation all move the Baton Rouge, LA range relative to the national one.
Computed over the 2 of 3 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 Development is $32,326, 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 jurisdictions
Heavy Equipment Operator beyond City of Baton Rouge / East Baton Rouge Parish
This role is reported in 12 jurisdictions. In City of Baton Rouge / East Baton Rouge Parish, the median of $28,585 ranks #10 of 12. See Heavy Equipment Operator across all of City of Baton Rouge / East Baton Rouge Parish →
Highest-paying jurisdictions for this role
Median total compensation for comparable Heavy Equipment Operatorroles in other jurisdictions. Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for the role.