Operating Engineer Prevailing Wage Rates in Wisconsin (2026)
Operating Engineers on prevailing wage projects in Wisconsin are paid $34.00 to $73.02 per hour, with a median total of $72.12 across the 50 determination records listed below. That total is base rate plus fringe benefits; the median base rate is $44.77, and among the 50 records listing a fringe separately the median fringe is $27.35. Rates differ by county, construction type and funding source, so use the row that matches your project.
Lowest listed$34.00per hour, total
Median listed$72.12 median base $44.77 · median fringe $27.35
Highest listed$73.02per hour, total
Records shown50 across 9 counties
Figures above are computed over the 50 hourly records in the table below, which is the first page of a larger set. They are not a statewide average of all operating engineers in Wisconsin. Most recent determination in this set: May 18, 2026.
How much do operating engineers earn on prevailing wage jobs in Wisconsin?
Every row below is one wage determination line: a operating engineer classification, in one county, for one construction type, under one funding source. The rate that applies to your project is the row whose county, construction type and funding source all match it — a Highway rate does not apply to a Building project in the same county, and a state determination does not substitute for a federal one.
| Classification | County | Construction type | Funding | Base | Fringe | Total |
|---|
| Operator: Bobcat/Skid Steer/Skid Loader | Ozaukee | Residential | #federal | $24.95 | $9.05 | $34.00 |
| Operator: Loader | Ozaukee | Residential | #federal | $25.70 | $9.58 | $35.28 |
| Operator: Power Equipment (Backhoe/Excavator (130,000 Lbs. and Over)) | Ozaukee | Residential | #federal | $45.67 | $27.35 | $73.02 |
| Operator: Power Equipment (Backhoe/Excavator (under 130,000 Lbs.), Bulldozer; Roller) | Ozaukee | Residential | #federal | $44.92 | $27.35 | $72.27 |
| Operator: Bobcat/Skid Steer/Skid Loader | Washington | Residential | #federal | $24.95 | $9.05 | $34.00 |
| Operator: Loader | Washington | Residential | #federal | $25.70 | $9.58 | $35.28 |
| Operator: Power Equipment (Backhoe/Excavator (130,000 Lbs. and Over)) | Washington | Residential | #federal | $45.67 | $27.35 | $73.02 |
| Operator: Power Equipment (Backhoe/Excavator (under 130,000 Lbs.), Bulldozer; Roller) | Washington | Residential | #federal | $44.92 | $27.35 | $72.27 |
| Operator: Bobcat/Skid Steer/Skid Loader | Eau-Claire | Residential | #federal | $24.95 | $9.05 | $34.00 |
| Operator: Loader | Eau-Claire | Residential | #federal | $25.70 | $9.58 | $35.28 |
| Operator: Power Equipment (Backhoe/Excavator 130,000 Lbs. and Over) | Eau-Claire | Residential | #federal | $45.67 | $27.35 | $73.02 |
| Operator: Power Equipment (Backhoe/Excavator Under 130,000 Lbs.) | Eau-Claire | Residential | #federal | $44.92 | $27.35 | $72.27 |
| Operator: Power Equipment (Bulldozer Over 40 H.p.; Roller Over 5 Tons) | Eau-Claire | Residential | #federal | $45.67 | $27.35 | $73.02 |
| Operator: Power Equipment (Bulldozer Under 40 H.p.; Roller 5 Tons and Under; Rubber Tire Roller) | Eau-Claire | Residential | #federal | $44.62 | $27.35 | $71.97 |
| Operator: Bobcat/Skid Steer/Skid Loader | La-Crosse | Residential | #federal | $24.95 | $9.05 | $34.00 |
| Operator: Loader | La-Crosse | Residential | #federal | $25.70 | $9.58 | $35.28 |
| Operator: Power Equipment (Backhoe/Excavator 130,000 Lbs. and Over) | La-Crosse | Residential | #federal | $45.67 | $27.35 | $73.02 |
| Operator: Power Equipment (Backhoe/Excavator Under 130,000 Lbs.) | La-Crosse | Residential | #federal | $44.92 | $27.35 | $72.27 |
| Operator: Power Equipment (Bulldozer Over 40 H.p.; Roller Over 5 Tons) | La-Crosse | Residential | #federal | $45.67 | $27.35 | $73.02 |
| Operator: Power Equipment (Bulldozer Under 40 H.p.; Roller 5 Tons and Under; Rubber Tire Roller) | La-Crosse | Residential | #federal | $44.62 | $27.35 | $71.97 |
| Operator: Bobcat/Skid Steer/Skid Loader | Pierce | Residential | #federal | $24.95 | $9.05 | $34.00 |
| Operator: Loader | Pierce | Residential | #federal | $25.70 | $9.58 | $35.28 |
| Operator: Power Equipment (Backhoe/Excavator 130,000 Lbs. and Over) | Pierce | Residential | #federal | $45.67 | $27.35 | $73.02 |
| Operator: Power Equipment (Backhoe/Excavator Under 130,000 Lbs.) | Pierce | Residential | #federal | $44.92 | $27.35 | $72.27 |
| Operator: Power Equipment (Bulldozer Over 40 H.p.; Roller Over 5 Tons) | Pierce | Residential | #federal | $45.67 | $27.35 | $73.02 |
| Operator: Power Equipment (Bulldozer Under 40 H.p.; Roller 5 Tons and Under; Rubber Tire Roller) | Pierce | Residential | #federal | $44.62 | $27.35 | $71.97 |
| Operator: Bobcat/Skid Steer/Skid Loader | St-Croix | Residential | #federal | $24.95 | $9.05 | $34.00 |
| Operator: Loader | St-Croix | Residential | #federal | $25.70 | $9.58 | $35.28 |
| Operator: Power Equipment (Backhoe/Excavator 130,000 Lbs. and Over) | St-Croix | Residential | #federal | $45.67 | $27.35 | $73.02 |
| Operator: Power Equipment (Backhoe/Excavator Under 130,000 Lbs.) | St-Croix | Residential | #federal | $44.92 | $27.35 | $72.27 |
| Operator: Power Equipment (Bulldozer Over 40 H.p.; Roller Over 5 Tons) | St-Croix | Residential | #federal | $45.67 | $27.35 | $73.02 |
| Operator: Power Equipment (Bulldozer Under 40 H.p.; Roller 5 Tons and Under; Rubber Tire Roller) | St-Croix | Residential | #federal | $44.62 | $27.35 | $71.97 |
| Operator: Bobcat/Skid Steer/Skid Loader | Douglas | Residential | #federal | $24.95 | $9.05 | $34.00 |
| Operator: Loader | Douglas | Residential | #federal | $25.70 | $9.58 | $35.28 |
| Operator: Power Equipment (Backhoe/Excavator 130,000 Lbs. and Over) | Douglas | Residential | #federal | $45.67 | $27.35 | $73.02 |
| Operator: Power Equipment (Backhoe/Excavator Under 130,000 Lbs.) | Douglas | Residential | #federal | $44.92 | $27.35 | $72.27 |
| Operator: Power Equipment (Bulldozer Over 40 H.p.; Roller Over 5 Tons) | Douglas | Residential | #federal | $45.67 | $27.35 | $73.02 |
| Operator: Power Equipment (Bulldozer Under 40 H.p.; Roller 5 Tons and Under; Rubber Tire Roller) | Douglas | Residential | #federal | $44.62 | $27.35 | $71.97 |
| Operator: Bobcat/Skid Steer/Skid Loader | Fond-Du-Lac | Residential | #federal | $24.95 | $9.05 | $34.00 |
| Operator: Loader | Fond-Du-Lac | Residential | #federal | $25.70 | $9.58 | $35.28 |
| Operator: Power Equipment (Backhoe/Excavator 130,000 Lbs. and Over) | Fond-Du-Lac | Residential | #federal | $45.67 | $27.35 | $73.02 |
| Operator: Power Equipment (Backhoe/Excavator Under 130,000 Lbs.) | Fond-Du-Lac | Residential | #federal | $44.92 | $27.35 | $72.27 |
| Operator: Power Equipment (Bulldozer Over 40 H.p.; Roller Over 5 Tons) | Fond-Du-Lac | Residential | #federal | $45.67 | $27.35 | $73.02 |
| Operator: Power Equipment (Bulldozer Under 40 H.p.; Roller 5 Tons and Under; Rubber Tire Roller) | Fond-Du-Lac | Residential | #federal | $44.62 | $27.35 | $71.97 |
| Operator: Bobcat/Skid Steer/Skid Loader | Marathon | Residential | #federal | $24.95 | $9.05 | $34.00 |
| Operator: Loader | Marathon | Residential | #federal | $25.70 | $9.58 | $35.28 |
| Operator: Power Equipment (Backhoe/Excavator 130,000 Lbs. and Over) | Marathon | Residential | #federal | $45.67 | $27.35 | $73.02 |
| Operator: Power Equipment (Backhoe/Excavator Under 130,000 Lbs.) | Marathon | Residential | #federal | $44.92 | $27.35 | $72.27 |
| Operator: Power Equipment (Bulldozer Over 40 H.p.; Roller Over 5 Tons) | Marathon | Residential | #federal | $45.67 | $27.35 | $73.02 |
| Operator: Power Equipment (Bulldozer Under 40 H.p.; Roller 5 Tons and Under; Rubber Tire Roller) | Marathon | Residential | #federal | $44.62 | $27.35 | $71.97 |
WageFinder holds more operating engineer records for Wisconsin than fit on this page. Open a county below, or search all Wisconsin operating engineers.
What does the operating engineer classification cover?
Operating engineers run the powered equipment on a project — excavators, dozers, cranes, loaders, graders, rollers and forklifts. This is the classification most likely to be broken into a long list of equipment-specific rates and grouped into skill tiers, so the applicable rate depends on the exact machine, not on the job title.
Work typically covered
- Excavators and backhoes
- Cranes and lifting equipment
- Dozers, loaders and graders
- Rollers and compactors
- Forklifts and material handlers
Also listed as
- Power Equipment Operator
- Operator: Bulldozer
- Operator: Crane
- Heavy Equipment Operator
In this Wisconsin result set the work appears under 8 distinct classification names.
Operating Engineer rates by county in Wisconsin
Prevailing wage is set county by county. These are the Wisconsin counties with operating engineer records in the set above — open one to see every classification on that county's determination, not just this trade.
See all Wisconsin counties →
Other trades in Wisconsin
Operating Engineer prevailing wage questions
What is the prevailing wage for a operating engineer in Wisconsin?
Across the 50 federal-funded determination records WageFinder lists for operating engineers in Wisconsin, total prevailing wage runs from $34.00 to $73.02 per hour, median $72.12. There is no single statewide figure: each county's determination sets its own rate, and the same county can carry different rates for Building, Highway, Heavy and Residential work.
Does the operating engineer rate include benefits?
The total prevailing wage shown is the base hourly rate plus the fringe benefit rate. Of the 50 Wisconsin records on this page, 50 list a fringe amount separately, with a median of $27.35 per hour — roughly 38% of the median total. The rest list no separate fringe, meaning the base rate is the whole obligation. Fringe can be paid as bona fide benefit plan contributions, as cash added to the paycheck, or as a mix of both.
Which Wisconsin counties have operating engineer rates?
This page lists operating engineer records for 9 counties in Wisconsin: Douglas, Eau-Claire, Fond-Du-Lac, La-Crosse, Marathon, Ozaukee, Pierce, St-Croix, Washington. Determinations that apply statewide appear under a statewide entry rather than a named county.
How current are these Wisconsin operating engineer rates?
The most recent determination in this set is dated May 18, 2026. WageFinder re-reads the official sources weekly, but the date that matters for compliance is the determination date on the document itself, which is shown on every wage detail page and links back to the government source.
