Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators earn an average annual salary of $92,656, making it one of the higher-paying occupations. The field has seen strong growth, with employment increasing by 9.1% over recent years. Professionals in this field are primarily employed in industries such as Cross-industry and Cross-industry, Private Ownership only.

Key Statistics

1,920
2023 Workforce
None
Average Age
$92,656
Average Salary

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators workforce.

Employment Over Time

1,920 Workforce in 2023

The Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators workforce has been growing over time.

Historical employment trends for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators.

Yearly Wage Ranking

$92,656 Average Wage

In 2023, Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators earned an average of $92,656.

Wage ranking compared to other occupations.

Wage Distribution

This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators.

Salary distribution for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators.

Employment Growth Projections

-6.2% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)

4,357 Projected Employment (5 years)

Projected growth: -27.4%

3,164 Projected Employment (10 years)

Projected growth: -47.3%

This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.

Historical employment trends and future projections for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators and on wages for those in the field.

Occupations by Industries

This graphic shows the share of Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators employed by various industries.

Industry distribution for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators.

Wage Trends by Industry

13.3% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate

Historical wage growth trends by industry for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators.

Geographic Distribution

Employment and wage information by geographic location for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators.

Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).

Top States by Employment

Top States by Employment:

  • CA: 1,050 employees, $97,536 avg wage

Top 10 states by employment for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators.

Top Metropolitan Areas

Top Metropolitan Areas:

  • Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 360 employees, $105,266 avg wage
  • Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 280 employees, $112,287 avg wage
  • San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 160 employees, $80,674 avg wage
  • Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 120 employees, $85,460 avg wage
  • Bakersfield-Delano MSA: 40 employees, $78,965 avg wage
  • San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles MSA: 30 employees, $86,346 avg wage
  • Salinas MSA: 20 employees, $70,215 avg wage
  • Santa Rosa-Petaluma MSA: 20 employees, $76,638 avg wage
  • Visalia MSA: 20 employees, $61,403 avg wage

Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators.

Diversity

Demographic information on Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators in the US.

Gender and Age

The workforce of Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators in 2023 was 1,920 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.

Gender and age distribution for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators.

Races

Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.

Race and ethnicity distribution for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators.

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices and required skills for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators.

Majors

The most common majors achieved by Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.

Common majors for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators.

Education Levels

The main educational levels achieved by Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators workers.

Education level distribution for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators.

Skills

Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators need many skills, but most especially Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Monitoring, Troubleshooting, Coordination.

Required skills for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators.

Knowledge & Abilities

Knowledge areas and abilities required for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators.

Knowledge Areas

The most important knowledge areas for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators include Building and Construction, Mechanical, Mathematics, Public Safety and Security, Physics.

Knowledge areas required for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators.

Abilities

Key abilities needed for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators include Control Precision, Problem Sensitivity, Multilimb Coordination, Reaction Time, Rate Control.

Required abilities for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators.

Work Activities

Common work activities performed by Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators.

Daily Activities

Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators spend their time on activities such as Controlling Machines and Processes, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People, Performing General Physical Activities.

Most important work activities for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators.

About

Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators

The average yearly wage for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators was $92,656 in 2023.

SOC Code

47-2071 - Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators

Insights and Analysis

Compensation snapshot: Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators reports an average salary of $92,656.

Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 1,920 workers, indicating sustained demand.

Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -6.2%, which should inform long-term career planning.

Data Sources

This page uses data from the following sources:

  • College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
    • Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
  • Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
    • Employment and wage data by occupation
    • Latest data: May 2024
    • Source: bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
    • Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
    • Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
    • Source: onetcenter.org
  • IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
    • Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
  • Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
    • Demographic and workforce data
    • Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
    • Source: census.gov/acs

Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.

Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.

Methodology

Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.

All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.