How much do concrete pump operators make in 2026?
Concrete pump operators are counted in 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. Pump work sits in the middle to upper part of that pooled band, and it separates on equipment class. Line and trailer pump operators handle small residential and slab work at the lower end. Boom pump operators run truck-mounted placing booms, and pay climbs with boom length because a longer boom means a bigger, more expensive machine, tighter set-up tolerances and higher consequences for error — a 60-metre boom operator is among the better-paid seats in concrete work. The other pay driver is throughput: pump operators are effectively on call to the pour schedule, which means very early starts, multiple pours a day and heavy overtime in the pouring season. Nearly all boom pump work requires a commercial driver licence because the operator drives the unit, and ACPA safety certification is widely expected. Employment is projected to grow 3.6% through 2034 with roughly 41,900 openings a year. → Full concrete pump 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.
- Concrete Pump 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.
- Pump wages come from the pooled SOC 47-2073 series; pump work sits in the middle to upper part of its $42,190 to $101,090 range, with boom length the clearest internal pay ladder.
- A commercial driver licence is effectively mandatory for boom pump work because the operator drives the unit to the pour, and ACPA safety certification is the industry credential employers ask for.
- Earnings are overtime-heavy and season-shaped: pre-dawn starts and multiple pours a day mean annual pay can far exceed the base rate implied by the median.
US Concrete Pump Operator Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do concrete pump 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 concrete pump operator earn at each career stage?
Pump operator pay follows equipment class and reliability on the pour schedule. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 47-2073.
By State
Which states pay concrete pump operators the most in 2026?
The state figures below are modeled estimates — the BLS national median scaled by the GlobalCybers salary-calculator state wage index — not BLS state observations. Pumping geography follows structural concrete volume: states with high-rise, bridge and tilt-up activity keep boom fleets and their operators busy year round, while cold-weather states lose pour days to freezing and compress earnings into the warm months.
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 concrete pump operators the most?
Metro figures are modeled — national median times state wage index times published metro index — not BLS MSA observations. Dense metros pay pump operators best because their sites have no other way to place concrete: restricted access, night pours under permit and long reaches over occupied structures all raise the value of a boom and the operator on it.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a concrete pump 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 concrete pump operator pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Concrete Pump 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 concrete pump operator wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a concrete pump 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
Concrete Pump Operator Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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