Logging Equipment Operators Salary in the United States
The median annual wage for logging equipment operators in the U.S. is $49,740 ($23.91 per hour), according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 estimates.
- Median annual wage
- $49,740
- Mean annual wage
- $53,190
- Median hourly wage
- $23.91
- Employment
- 21,060
21,060 employed
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $35,170 | $16.91 |
| 25th percentile | $43,970 | $21.14 |
| Median (50th) | $49,740 | $23.91 |
| 75th percentile | $61,050 | $29.35 |
| 90th percentile | $74,300 | $35.72 |
Highest-paying states for logging equipment operators
| State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | $75,140 | 1,150 |
| Illinois | $71,100 | 40 |
| Texas | $62,890 | 500 |
| California | $61,940 | 950 |
| South Dakota | $58,740 | 50 |
| Oregon | $58,720 | 1,860 |
| Louisiana | $58,600 | 770 |
| Minnesota | $58,590 | 320 |
| Montana | $56,530 | 190 |
| Idaho | $56,490 | 560 |
Lowest-paying states
- Kentucky: $30,230 median annual wage
- West Virginia: $36,130 median annual wage
- Oklahoma: $37,270 median annual wage
- Missouri: $41,770 median annual wage
- Maine: $44,780 median annual wage
About this occupation
Drive logging tractor or wheeled vehicle equipped with one or more accessories, such as bulldozer blade, frontal shear, grapple, logging arch, cable winches, hoisting rack, or crane boom, to fell tree; to skid, load, unload, or stack logs; or to pull stumps or clear brush. Includes operating stand-alone logging machines, such as log chippers.
Typical tasks
- Grade logs according to characteristics such as knot size and straightness, and according to established industry or company standards.
- Drive crawler or wheeled tractors to drag or transport logs from felling sites to log landing areas for processing and loading.
- Drive and maneuver tractors and tree harvesters to shear the tops off of trees, cut and limb the trees, and cut the logs into desired lengths.
- Drive tractors for building or repairing logging and skid roads.
- Inspect equipment for safety prior to use, and perform necessary basic maintenance tasks.
- Fill out required job or shift report forms.
Education of the current workforce — typical entry: High school diploma or equivalent
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Less than high school diploma | 27.2% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 50.8% |
| Some college, no degree | 12.6% |
| Associate's degree | 4.0% |
| Bachelor's degree | 4.5% |
| Master's degree | 0.6% |
| Doctoral or professional degree | 0.2% |
Occupation profile data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Related occupations
- Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse$35,660
- Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals$36,670
- Agricultural Equipment Operators$41,730
- First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers$59,320
- Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products$35,730
- Agricultural Inspectors$49,940
- Forest and Conservation Workers$43,680
- Agricultural Workers, All Other$39,850
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.