Dredge Operators Salary in the United States
The median annual wage for dredge operators in the U.S. is $49,640 ($23.86 per hour), according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 estimates.
- Median annual wage
- $49,640
- Mean annual wage
- $56,120
- Median hourly wage
- $23.86
- Employment
- 1,040
1,040 employed
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $41,080 | $19.75 |
| 25th percentile | $46,430 | $22.32 |
| Median (50th) | $49,640 | $23.86 |
| 75th percentile | $62,070 | $29.84 |
| 90th percentile | $74,140 | $35.65 |
Highest-paying states for dredge operators
| State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | $65,580 | — |
| New Jersey | $63,810 | 30 |
| Iowa | $57,990 | 60 |
| Wisconsin | $54,310 | — |
| Ohio | $53,310 | 40 |
| Florida | $52,800 | 40 |
| Alabama | $50,030 | 50 |
| Louisiana | $48,590 | — |
| Nebraska | $45,290 | 30 |
Lowest-paying states
- Nebraska: $45,290 median annual wage
- Louisiana: $48,590 median annual wage
- Alabama: $50,030 median annual wage
- Florida: $52,800 median annual wage
- Ohio: $53,310 median annual wage
About this occupation
Operate dredge to remove sand, gravel, or other materials in order to excavate and maintain navigable channels in waterways.
Typical tasks
- Direct or assist workers placing shore anchors and cables, laying additional pipes from dredges to shore, and pumping water from pontoons.
- Pump water to clear machinery pipelines.
- Start and stop engines to operate equipment.
- Start power winches that draw in or let out cables to change positions of dredges, or pull in and let out cables manually.
- Lower anchor poles to verify depths of excavations, using winches, or scan depth gauges to determine depths of excavations.
- Move levers to position dredges for excavation, to engage hydraulic pumps, to raise and lower suction booms, and to control rotation of cutterheads.
Education of the current workforce — typical entry: High school diploma or equivalent
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Less than high school diploma | 23.3% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 47.6% |
| Some college, no degree | 17.4% |
| Associate's degree | 6.6% |
| Bachelor's degree | 4.3% |
| Master's degree | 0.4% |
| Doctoral or professional degree | 0.3% |
Occupation profile data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
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About this data
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- CareerOneStop Occupation Profiles — data period 2026-08, retrieved August 14, 2026.
Figures are shown exactly as published by the source or derived by the documented formulas on our methodology page. Where a source suppresses an estimate, we show “—” rather than a substitute value.