Pile Driver Operators Salary in the United States
The median annual wage for pile driver operators in the U.S. is $73,300 ($35.24 per hour), according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 estimates.
- Median annual wage
- $73,300
- Mean annual wage
- $80,710
- Median hourly wage
- $35.24
- Employment
- 2,310
2,310 employed
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $48,790 | $23.46 |
| 25th percentile | $58,510 | $28.13 |
| Median (50th) | $73,300 | $35.24 |
| 75th percentile | $106,430 | $51.17 |
| 90th percentile | $124,600 | $59.91 |
Highest-paying states for pile driver operators
| State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $120,980 | 130 |
| Washington | $111,080 | 50 |
| California | $110,340 | 480 |
| Pennsylvania | $93,550 | 90 |
| Alaska | $78,080 | 190 |
| Texas | $66,140 | 280 |
| Louisiana | $61,150 | 180 |
| Virginia | $59,910 | 150 |
| Tennessee | $54,830 | 30 |
| Florida | $51,830 | 270 |
Lowest-paying states
- Georgia: $47,930 median annual wage
- Florida: $51,830 median annual wage
- Tennessee: $54,830 median annual wage
- Virginia: $59,910 median annual wage
- Louisiana: $61,150 median annual wage
About this occupation
Operate pile drivers mounted on skids, barges, crawler treads, or locomotive cranes to drive pilings for retaining walls, bulkheads, and foundations of structures such as buildings, bridges, and piers.
Typical tasks
- Clean, lubricate, and refill equipment.
- Move hand and foot levers of hoisting equipment to position piling leads, hoist piling into leads, and position hammers over pilings.
- Move levers and turn valves to activate power hammers, or to raise and lower drophammers that drive piles to required depths.
- Drive pilings to provide support for buildings or other structures, using heavy equipment with a pile driver head.
- Conduct pre-operational checks on equipment to ensure proper functioning.
Education of the current workforce — typical entry: High school diploma or equivalent
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Less than high school diploma | 18.5% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 53.1% |
| Some college, no degree | 18.8% |
| Associate's degree | 6.0% |
| Bachelor's degree | 3.1% |
| Master's degree | 0.4% |
| Doctoral or professional degree | 0.2% |
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.