Skilled Trades Equipment Operator

Supports operating specialized equipment for skilled trades.

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Compensation by seniority

Simulated

Median

$71k

Mean

$74k

10th–90th pct

$54k–$98k

Observations

778

Confidence: 35% · based on 778 simulated observations · last updated 7/27/2026

Historical trend & projection

Median total compensation at the typical seniority level for this role, 2021–2025, projected forward under three scenarios.

Simulated

Common skills

Heavy Machinery Operation

Core

Equipment Maintenance

Core

Process Improvement

Common certifications

OSHA 30-Hour Certification · 45% of postings

Education requirements

Share of postings that require or prefer each level — a signal of typical hiring bars, not a hard rule.

Simulated

Trade School

47% require · 30% prefer

Certificate

25% require · 19% prefer

No College

28% require · 7% prefer

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Common next roles

Equipment Operations Manager, Skilled Trades+63.7%Maintenance Manager, Skilled Trades+79.6%Skilled Trades Lead Equipment Operator-8.2%Skilled Trades Maintenance Technician-8.4%Skilled Trades Lead Maintenance Technician+1.0%

Common previous roles

Skilled Trades Lead Equipment Operator-8.9%Skilled Trades Maintenance Technician-9.1%Equipment Operations Manager, Skilled Trades+38.9%Maintenance Manager, Skilled Trades+44.3%Skilled Trades Lead Maintenance Technician+1.0%

Demand snapshot

Active openings (simulated)10,935

Posting growth+2.4%

Median days to fill14 days

Simulated

Employed (US, simulated)98,857

Projected growth2.8%/yr

Simulated

Role characteristics

Remote-friendliness2%

Automation exposure25%

Sources & freshness

Compensation and demand figures on this page are simulated demo data, deterministically generated for this build of CareerAtlas — not verified real-world observations.

Read the full methodology