How much do bulldozer operators make in 2026?
Bulldozer operators fall inside the BLS operating engineers and other construction equipment operators series: OEWS May 2025 gives the SOC 47-2073 national median as $59,850 a year ($28.78 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $42,190 and the top 10% at $101,090. The series pools every dirt machine, and dozer operators are spread across almost the whole band because the job splits in two. Rough pushing — stripping topsoil, moving spoil, building haul roads, working behind a scraper spread — is bulk production work paid around the middle. Finish grading is a different trade: holding subgrade to hundredths on a road, pad or pond bottom, blending slopes, and doing it accurately enough that the survey crew signs off first time. Finish dozer hands are scarce and sit in the upper quarter, and GPS and 3D machine control has raised rather than removed that premium, because someone still has to know when the model is wrong. Reclamation, landfill and mine support work also pay above general site work. Employment is projected to grow 3.6% through 2034 with roughly 41,900 openings a year. → Full bulldozer operator career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $59,850 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Bulldozer Operators earn a national median $59,850/yr ($28.78/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-2073); the P10 to P90 range is $42,190 to $101,090.
- Dozer wages come from the pooled SOC 47-2073 series, and the band splits cleanly: rough pushing near the middle, finish grading in the upper quarter of the $42,190 to $101,090 range.
- Finish grade is the premium skill in dirt work — holding subgrade to survey tolerance on the first pass is what separates a $30 hour from a $45 hour on the same machine.
- Landfill, reclamation and mine support work pay above general site development because they run longer seasons, more shifts and often a remote or camp premium.
US Bulldozer Operator Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do bulldozer operators earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 47-2073; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-2073, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a bulldozer operator earn at each career stage?
Dozer pay is a function of grade accuracy and the confidence a superintendent has in leaving you alone on a pad. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 47-2073.
By State
Which states pay bulldozer operators the most in 2026?
State figures here are modeled estimates: the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers salary-calculator state wage index, not BLS state observations. Dozer geography follows earthmoving volume rather than population — states with active highway programmes, surface mining, reclamation obligations or utility-scale solar build-out hold operators busier and at higher rates than states where dirt work is mostly residential subdivisions.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($68,830), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay bulldozer operators the most?
Metro estimates are modeled: national median times the state wage index times the published metro index, not BLS MSA observations. Note that dozer work is often the least metro-centred job in construction — the best-paid dirt work is frequently on a highway or energy site an hour outside the city, with subsistence paid for the drive.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a bulldozer operator’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does bulldozer operator pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Bulldozer Operators sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify bulldozer operator wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a bulldozer operator actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Bulldozer Operator Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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