Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators in the Cape Girardeau Metro

BLS metro-level wage data places Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators pay in Cape Girardeau, MO-IL at a median of $61,480 per year ($29.56/hr), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared with the national median of $59,850, the metro estimate is +3% above. OEWS reports the difference but does not identify its cause. Approximately 130 operating engineers and other construction equipment operators are employed across the Cape Girardeau MSA in SOC 47-2073.

The Cape Girardeau pay distribution spans from $38,980 at the 10th percentile to $89,880 at the 90th, a 2.3× observed spread. Differences in specialization, employer, sector, location, credentials, schedule, and experience may all contribute, but OEWS does not isolate their effects. The 25th percentile sits at $48,750 and the 75th at $80,290, so half of Cape Girardeau-based operating engineers and other construction equipment operators earn within that middle band.

Metro figures use establishment work location, not worker residence. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Cape Girardeau, MO-IL covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. OEWS includes straight-time pay, tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses. It excludes employer health and retirement benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, signing bonuses, and other nonproduction bonuses. The same occupation's national profile, statewide MO estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.