Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators pay in the U.S.
$59,000avg. a year
$28.37 an hour · 41,820 employed
Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators in the U.S. earn an average of $59,000 a year and a median of $53,340. Pay is highest in Hawaii ($96,920) and lowest in Mississippi ($40,780).
$53,340Median pay
$28.37Average hourly
+27%Avg. pay since 2020
41,820Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
1
Hawaii
$96,920
$46.60 an hour
21,400 jobs
California
$94,440
$45.40 an hour
3530 jobs
Washington
$90,790
$43.65 an hour
480 jobs
Alaska
$83,530
$40.16 an hour
570 jobs
District of Columbia
$80,320
$38.62 an hour
6
Connecticut
$77,210
$37.12 an hour
7950 jobs
Illinois
$77,180
$37.11 an hour
8130 jobs
Idaho
$76,060
$36.57 an hour
94,530 jobs
New York
$72,330
$34.78 an hour
10830 jobs
Minnesota
$71,850
$34.54 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL
Under $50k$50k–$58k$58k–$69k$69k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $105,890 | $50.91 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $105,680 | $50.81 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $98,470 | $47.34 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $80,770 | $38.83 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $77,260 | $37.15 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | $75,940 | $36.51 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $75,740 | $36.41 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | $75,610 | $36.35 |
Related jobs
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $43,370 | $41,880 | 700 |
| Alaska | $83,530 | $83,520 | 80 |
| Arizona | $59,760 | $52,140 | 170 |
| Arkansas | $44,060 | $44,010 | 490 |
| California | $94,440 | $83,130 | 1,400 |
| Colorado | $57,140 | $58,810 | 920 |
| Connecticut | $77,210 | $77,480 | – |
| Delaware | $51,570 | $54,020 | 150 |
| District of Columbia | $80,320 | $91,280 | 70 |
| Florida | $48,530 | $46,840 | 2,740 |
| Georgia | $47,540 | $46,100 | 1,270 |
| Hawaii | $96,920 | $111,360 | – |
| Idaho | $76,060 | $73,210 | 130 |
| Illinois | $77,180 | $73,060 | 950 |
| Indiana | $57,670 | $50,380 | 910 |
| Iowa | $60,140 | $61,110 | – |
| Kansas | $54,410 | $49,070 | 540 |
| Kentucky | $47,810 | $45,660 | 110 |
| Louisiana | $53,140 | $48,450 | 350 |
| Maine | $61,100 | $57,020 | 250 |
| Maryland | $64,370 | $60,530 | 750 |
| Massachusetts | $64,620 | $60,950 | 560 |
| Michigan | $54,880 | $54,220 | 1,720 |
| Minnesota | $71,850 | $68,180 | 830 |
| Mississippi | $40,780 | $37,030 | 470 |
| Missouri | $70,190 | $69,400 | 1,560 |
| Montana | $58,300 | $55,920 | 260 |
| Nebraska | $49,810 | $45,760 | 390 |
| Nevada | $57,210 | $51,400 | – |
| New Hampshire | $64,440 | $62,080 | 260 |
| New Jersey | $56,050 | $50,500 | 840 |
| New Mexico | $47,700 | $45,880 | 990 |
| New York | $72,330 | $62,760 | 4,530 |
| North Carolina | $49,230 | $47,820 | 1,940 |
| Ohio | $63,010 | $60,280 | 2,370 |
| Oklahoma | $48,050 | $46,760 | 550 |
| Oregon | $69,920 | $63,310 | 520 |
| Pennsylvania | $56,370 | $56,010 | 520 |
| Rhode Island | $67,140 | $63,060 | 160 |
| South Carolina | $47,340 | $46,950 | 630 |
| South Dakota | $61,370 | $60,140 | 130 |
| Tennessee | $45,850 | $42,510 | 1,730 |
| Texas | $48,940 | $47,060 | 3,940 |
| Utah | $54,760 | $48,860 | 410 |
| Vermont | $56,820 | $54,830 | 70 |
| Virginia | $49,640 | $48,060 | 1,660 |
| Washington | $90,790 | $90,530 | 530 |
| West Virginia | $55,160 | $51,230 | 210 |
| Wisconsin | $68,570 | $69,020 | 960 |
| Wyoming | $59,120 | $58,080 | 160 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$74,700
3,440 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
$60,280
980 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$51,770
940 jobsHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
$49,560
870 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
$48,370
770 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$80,770
740 jobsDetroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
$55,560
580 jobsMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
$48,900
570 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators make?
The average is $59,000 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $53,340 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $28.37, and the median is $25.64 an hour.
Which state pays paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators the most?
Hawaii, with an average of $96,920 a year. The best-paying metro area is Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA at $105,890.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $38,230 a year, and the top 10% earn over $92,230.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 47-2071. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.