Skilled Wages

Heavy equipment operator salary in South Dakota

Median $28.61 an hour for 2,050 operating engineers and other construction equipment operators, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$28.61/hrMedian hourly wageSouth Dakota, May data
$59,500/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$22.72 – $36.4810th to 90th percentilehourly range
2,050Jobs countedemployer survey

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025; prevailing wage as of 2026-09-28

Heavy equipment operator pay in South Dakota: the full range

Wage percentiles, South DakotaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrSouth Dakota: 10th $22.72 · 25th $24.37 · median $28.61 · 75th $30.51 · 90th $36.48South Dakota$28.61$22.72$36.48United States: 10th $20.28 · 25th $23.40 · median $28.78 · 75th $37.10 · 90th $48.60United States$28.78
Hourly wage percentiles for operating engineers and other construction equipment operators: South Dakota vs United States, May 2025.

South Dakota ranks 31st of 51 states for median heavy equipment operator pay, and 20th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $32.29). 2,050 operating engineers and other construction equipment operators work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$22.72 – $24.37$47,260 – $50,690roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$24.37 – $30.51$50,690 – $63,460the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$30.51 – $36.48$63,460 – $75,880the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Heavy equipment operator pay by metro in South Dakota

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30$40/hrSioux Falls: $29.31Sioux Falls$29.31Rapid City: $29.16Rapid City$29.16Sioux City: $28.43Sioux City$28.43
Median hourly wage for operating engineers and other construction equipment operators by metro area in South Dakota, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
Sioux Falls$23.23$29.31$37.116302% above
Rapid City$23.38$29.16$36.174102% above
Sioux City$22.57$28.43$35.112001% below

Heavy equipment operator wages in South Dakota over time

South Dakota, 1999-2025South DakotaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$15$20$25$30$35200020052010201520202025$28.78United States$28.61South Dakota
Median hourly wage for operating engineers and other construction equipment operators, South Dakota vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearSouth Dakota $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$12.33$23.83$15.311,600
2000$13.33$24.92$15.991,590
2001$13.15$23.90$16.421,780
2002$13.34$23.87$16.941,570
2003$13.19$23.08$16.841,450
2004$13.48$22.97$17.001,810
2005$14.30$23.57$17.231,500
2006$14.60$23.32$17.741,790
2007$15.16$23.54$18.331,980
2008$16.15$24.15$18.881,940
2009$17.18$25.78$19.121,930
2010$17.45$25.76$19.421,590
2011$17.28$24.73$19.961,760
2012$17.37$24.36$20.131,710
2013$17.51$24.20$20.451,830
2014$17.97$24.44$20.922,000
2015$18.37$24.95$21.441,990
2016$19.17$25.71$22.061,880
2017$20.53$26.96$22.611,600
2018$21.02$26.95$22.981,710
2019$21.84$27.50$23.551,770
2020$22.16$27.57$23.932,160
2021$22.82$27.11$23.252,110
2022$23.71$26.08$24.732,000
2023$25.25$26.68$27.001,840
2024$27.27$27.99$28.232,080
2025$28.61$28.61$28.782,050

In today's dollars, the median heavy equipment operator wage in South Dakota changed by +14.7% over the last ten years of data.

Union scale and prevailing wage for heavy equipment operators in South Dakota

On federally funded construction in South Dakota, contractors must pay heavy equipment operators at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 0 of the 66 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package — an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical $19.34). 66 of the 66 counties still use a survey rate dated 2014 or earlier (for example Aurora County at $19.34). The market median for the state is $28.61.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, SDAurora: $19.34 (survey)Beadle: $19.34 (survey)Bennett: $19.34 (survey)Bon Homme: $19.34 (survey)Brookings: $19.34 (survey)Brown: $19.34 (survey)Brule: $19.34 (survey)Buffalo: $19.34 (survey)Butte: $19.34 (survey)Campbell: $19.34 (survey)Charles Mix: $19.34 (survey)Clark: $19.34 (survey)Clay: $19.34 (survey)Codington: $19.34 (survey)Corson: $19.34 (survey)Custer: $17.80 (survey)Davison: $19.34 (survey)Day: $19.34 (survey)Deuel: $19.34 (survey)Dewey: $19.34 (survey)Douglas: $19.34 (survey)Edmunds: $19.34 (survey)Fall River: $19.34 (survey)Faulk: $19.34 (survey)Grant: $19.34 (survey)Gregory: $19.34 (survey)Haakon: $19.34 (survey)Hamlin: $19.34 (survey)Hand: $19.34 (survey)Hanson: $19.34 (survey)Harding: $19.34 (survey)Hughes: $19.34 (survey)Hutchinson: $19.34 (survey)Hyde: $19.34 (survey)Jackson: $19.34 (survey)Jerauld: $19.34 (survey)Jones: $19.34 (survey)Kingsbury: $19.34 (survey)Lake: $19.34 (survey)Lawrence: $19.34 (survey)Lincoln: $17.90 (survey)Lyman: $19.34 (survey)McCook: $17.90 (survey)McPherson: $19.34 (survey)Marshall: $19.34 (survey)Meade: $17.80 (survey)Mellette: $19.34 (survey)Miner: $19.34 (survey)Minnehaha: $17.90 (survey)Moody: $19.34 (survey)Oglala Lakota: $19.34 (survey)Pennington: $17.80 (survey)Perkins: $19.34 (survey)Potter: $19.34 (survey)Roberts: $19.34 (survey)Sanborn: $19.34 (survey)Spink: $19.34 (survey)Stanley: $19.34 (survey)Sully: $19.34 (survey)Todd: $19.34 (survey)Tripp: $19.34 (survey)Turner: $17.90 (survey)Union: $17.90 (survey)Walworth: $19.34 (survey)Yankton: $19.34 (survey)Ziebach: $19.34 (survey)Union / prevailing package, $/hrsurvey rate
Davis-Bacon base + fringe for heavy equipment operators by county, Building construction. Hatched counties use a survey rate rather than a union contract.
Market median vs prevailing wage by countyMarket medianPrevailing (survey)$15$20$25$30$35/hrUnion (Sioux City): market median $28.43, prevailing (survey) $17.90, gap −$10.53Union (Sioux City)−$10.53Custer (Rapid City): market median $29.16, prevailing (survey) $17.80, gap −$11.36Custer (Rapid City)−$11.36Lincoln (Sioux Falls): market median $29.31, prevailing (survey) $17.90, gap −$11.41Lincoln (Sioux Falls)−$11.41
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for heavy equipment operators, metro counties in South Dakota.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
AuroraSurvey SUSD2012-001 2014-08-21$19.34$0.00$19.34SD20260004
BeadleSurvey SUSD2012-018 2014-08-21$19.34$0.00$19.34SD20260021
BennettSurvey SUSD2012-019 2014-08-21$19.34$0.00$19.34SD20260022
Bon HommeSurvey SUSD2012-020 2014-08-21$19.34$0.00$19.34SD20260023
BrookingsSurvey SUSD2012-002 2014-08-21$19.34$0.00$19.34SD20260005
BrownSurvey SUSD2012-003 2014-08-21$19.34$0.00$19.34SD20260006
BruleSurvey SUSD2012-019 2014-08-21$19.34$0.00$19.34SD20260022
BuffaloSurvey SUSD2012-004 2014-08-21$19.34$0.00$19.34SD20260007
ButteSurvey SUSD2012-005 2014-08-21$19.34$0.00$19.34SD20260008
CampbellSurvey SUSD2012-006 2014-08-21$19.34$0.00$19.34SD20260009
Charles MixSurvey SUSD2012-007 2014-08-21$19.34$0.00$19.34SD20260010
ClarkSurvey SUSD2012-018 2014-08-21$19.34$0.00$19.34SD20260021
ClaySurvey SUSD2012-020 2014-08-21$19.34$0.00$19.34SD20260023
CodingtonSurvey SUSD2012-008 2014-08-21$19.34$0.00$19.34SD20260011
CorsonSurvey SUSD2012-021 2014-08-21$19.34$0.00$19.34SD20260024

Building construction type, current revisions as of 2026-09-28. Residential, Heavy and Highway rates differ; look them up on the South Dakota prevailing wage page. This is not the official wage determination.

Is construction work growing in South Dakota?

33.2kConstruction jobsSouth Dakota, 2026-08
+3.8%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-20260k10k20k30k40k1990199520002005201020152020202533kAug 2026
Construction employment in South Dakota (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Contractor pay by county

Average pay at specialty trade contractors establishments by county (all employees, not just heavy equipment operators), from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.

CountyEmployeesAverage annual payAvg weekly wage
Faulk County6$80,437$1,547
Douglas County50$79,526$1,529
Hutchinson County108$75,967$1,461
Minnehaha County5,743$75,174$1,446
Davison County732$72,715$1,398
Sanborn County18$71,733$1,379
Grant County228$70,411$1,354
Pennington County2,950$68,558$1,318
Deuel County105$65,955$1,268
Codington County664$65,288$1,256
Meade County612$64,894$1,248
Hamlin County293$64,695$1,244

Keep comparing

Heavy equipment operator pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in South Dakota

Questions this page answers

How much do heavy equipment operators make in South Dakota?

The median heavy equipment operator in South Dakota earned $28.61 an hour ($59,500 a year) in May 2025, 1% below the national median of $28.78. The middle half earn $24.37–$30.51; the top 10% earn more than $36.48.

Where does South Dakota rank for heavy equipment operator pay?

South Dakota ranks 31st of 51 states for heavy equipment operator pay, with a median of $28.61 an hour, and 20th after adjusting for South Dakota's cost of living (BEA price parity 88.6, US = 100).

What is the union heavy equipment operator rate in South Dakota?

Davis-Bacon determinations do not list a heavy equipment operator classification for most South Dakota counties, or the trade is not covered; the BLS wage figures above are the best available measure.

How many heavy equipment operators work in South Dakota?

BLS counted 2,050 operating engineers and other construction equipment operators in South Dakota in May 2025, 4.5 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 1.46; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, South Dakota and metro areas, SOC 47-2073.
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics, state construction employment through 2026-08.
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.
  • BEA Regional Price Parities (cost-of-living adjustment).
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions as of 2026-09-28. Not the official determination.