HEO · CIP 49.0202

Heavy Equipment Operator Schools

Heavy equipment operators run excavators, dozers, loaders, graders and cranes on construction, road and mining jobs. Programs combine classroom work on grade, safety and maintenance with seat time on real machines.

55schools with grads

1,131awards 2023-24

$8,760median program tuition

10 momedian length

$59,850BLS median pay

By state

Largest heavy equipment operator programs by graduates

Community College of Allegheny County

800 Allegheny Ave, Pittsburgh, PA · Public, 2-year

HEO 101
CARP 137
ELEC 113
WELD 46
HVAC 28
PLMB 19
AUTO 17
CNST 10

Grads 2023-24: 101 heavy equipment operator
In-state tuition/yr 2025-26: $4,962
Median pay 1 yr out: $63,193 undergraduate certificate

Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College

9500 Industrial Drive, Minden, LA · Public, 2-year

HEO 99
WELD 174
AUTO 59
HVAC 48
ELEC 37
IMT 35
DSL 23
CNC 8

Grads 2023-24: 99 heavy equipment operator
In-state tuition/yr 2025-26: $4,109
Median pay 10 yrs, all: $37,978

Ivy Tech Community College

50 W. Fall Creek Parkway N. Drive, Indianapolis, IN · Public, 2-year

HEO 73
AUTO 729
WELD 658
ELEC 538
CARP 440
HVAC 432
PLMB 293
IMT 235
CDL 188
CNST 141
DSL 100
LINE 92
CNC 57
BODY 17
A&P 4

Grads 2023-24: 73 heavy equipment operator
In-state tuition/yr 2025-26: $5,154
Median pay 1 yr out: $50,457 undergraduate certificate

State Technical College of Missouri

One Technology Drive, Linn, MO · Public, 2-year

HEO 57
DSL 60
ELEC 60
HVAC 58
AUTO 57
LINE 42
CNST 37
CNC 37
WELD 22
A&P 18
BODY 12

Grads 2023-24: 57 heavy equipment operator
In-state tuition/yr 2025-26: $8,460
Median pay 1 yr out: $50,066 undergraduate certificate

Butte College

3536 Butte Campus Drive, Oroville, CA · Public, 2-year

HEO 53
WELD 177
AUTO 24
CNST 8
DSL 6

Grads 2023-24: 53 heavy equipment operator
In-state tuition/yr 2025-26: $1,374
Median pay 1 yr out: $35,652 undergraduate certificate

Central Lakes College-Brainerd

501 West College Drive, Brainerd, MN · Public, 2-year

HEO 48
WELD 45
DSL 24
AUTO 9
CNC 2

Grads 2023-24: 48 heavy equipment operator
In-state tuition/yr 2025-26: $6,476
Median pay 1 yr out: $62,827 undergraduate certificate

Bridgerland Technical College

1301 North 600 West, Logan, UT · Public, under 2-year

HEO 37
CDL 122
IMT 56
WELD 53
CNC 39
ELEC 29
AUTO 26
DSL 26
BODY 13
CARP 13
PLMB 13

Grads 2023-24: 37 heavy equipment operator
Largest program 2025-26: $3,291
Median pay 1 yr out: $44,004 undergraduate certificate

Utah State University

Old Main Hill, Logan, UT · Public, 4-year

HEO 37
CDL 95
WELD 49
DSL 7
ELEC 6
CNST 5
CNC 3

Grads 2023-24: 37 heavy equipment operator
In-state tuition/yr 2025-26: $9,412
Median pay 1 yr out: $44,602 undergraduate certificate

Central Arizona College

8470 N Overfield Rd, Coolidge, AZ · Public, 2-year

HEO 34
CARP 69
WELD 68
CNST 39
DSL 9
ELEC 1

Grads 2023-24: 34 heavy equipment operator
In-state tuition/yr 2025-26: $2,250
Median pay 10 yrs, all: $45,193

SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

10 Upper College Drive, Alfred, NY · Public, 4-year

HEO 33
ELEC 105
WELD 66
CNST 38
DSL 33
HVAC 33
AUTO 22
CNC 18
BODY 5

Grads 2023-24: 33 heavy equipment operator
In-state tuition/yr 2025-26: $8,892
Median pay 10 yrs, all: $56,988

Fox Valley Technical College

1825 N Bluemound Dr, Appleton, WI · Public, 2-year

HEO 32
WELD 217
DSL 96
ELEC 84
CDL 81
PLMB 55
AUTO 46
A&P 23
IMT 19
CARP 12
CNC 11
BODY 9

Grads 2023-24: 32 heavy equipment operator
In-state tuition/yr 2025-26: $4,980
Median pay 1 yr out: $72,265 undergraduate certificate

Coastal Bend College

3800 Charco Rd, Beeville, TX · Public, 2-year

HEO 30
WELD 70
AUTO 3

Grads 2023-24: 30 heavy equipment operator
In-state tuition/yr 2025-26: $2,916
Median pay 10 yrs, all: $39,312

Lake Area Technical College

1201 Arrow Ave, Watertown, SD · Public, 2-year

HEO 29
DSL 92
WELD 55
BODY 26
AUTO 24
A&P 17
CNST 12
CNC 9

Grads 2023-24: 29 heavy equipment operator
In-state tuition/yr 2025-26: $7,622
Median pay 10 yrs, all: $48,729

Pearl River Community College

101 Hwy 11 N, Poplarville, MS · Public, 2-year

HEO 27
ELEC 37
WELD 31
AUTO 17
HVAC 15
CNST 2
CNC 1

Grads 2023-24: 27 heavy equipment operator
In-state tuition/yr 2025-26: $3,800
Median pay 10 yrs, all: $37,204

Indian Capital Technology Center-Muskogee

2403 N 41st St E, Muskogee, OK · Public, 2-year

HEO 27
WELD 130
AUTO 127
HVAC 96
BODY 67
ELEC 65
CNC 33
CARP 26
CNST 21

Grads 2023-24: 27 heavy equipment operator
Largest program 2025-26: $4,783
Median pay 10 yrs, all: $39,617

Becoming a equipment operator: licenses and credentials

Most earthmoving work has no state operator license. Crane operators are the exception: OSHA requires construction crane operators to be certified or qualified. 29 CFR 1926.1427.
Hauling equipment on public roads can call for a CDL, so some programs pair with CDL training. Operating Engineers union apprenticeships are the other main route. Find an apprenticeship.

BLS puts the median annual wage for operating engineers and other construction equipment operators nationally at $59,850 (middle 80% from $42,190 to $101,090), May 2025. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Questions, answered from the data

How many heavy equipment operator schools are there?

55 schools reported heavy equipment operator graduates to the Department of Education for 2023-24, 1,131 awards in all (1,038 undergraduate certificates, 93 associate degrees).

How long is heavy equipment operator school?

Among the 4 heavy equipment operator programs that reported a length to IPEDS for 2023-24, the median took 10 months to finish. Community college associate degrees usually take two years full time.

How much does heavy equipment operator school cost?

At schools that price by program, the median published tuition and fees for a whole heavy equipment operator program was $8,760 in 2023-24 (4 programs reporting, from $3,289 to $15,050); public two-year colleges teaching it charge a median $4,378 a year in-state (2025-26). Grants and aid lower what most students pay.

How much does a equipment operator make?

The BLS median annual wage for operating engineers and other construction equipment operators was $59,850 in May 2025; the lowest-paid 10% earned under $42,190 and the top 10% over $101,090.

What do heavy equipment operator graduates earn right after school?

Across 12 schools with College Scorecard data, the median of their graduates' median earnings one year after a certificate was $50,010. Scorecard reports this for the broader program family and only for federally aided graduates.

Sources: IPEDS Completions 2023-24 (C2024_A) and Directory (HD2024), NCES; College Scorecard institution data (2025-26 charges, released Nov 2, 2026) and field-of-study data (Oct 15, 2026); FMCSA Training Provider Registry (as of 2026-11-02); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Checked 2026-11-02. How we build this list.