WAGE DATA · SOC 47-2073

OPERATING ENGINEER PAY
IN DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

District of Columbia operating engineers earn a median of $33.20/hr (BLS 2024). 560 workers employed statewide. Compare market wages, federal prevailing rates, and per-diem baselines below.

// SWITCH VIEW
ALL 50 STATES · OPERATING ENGINEER
// BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS · STATEWIDEOEWS · MAY 2024
HOURLY MEDIAN
$33.20/hr
MEAN HOURLY
$34.19/hr
ANNUAL MEDIAN
$69K
EMPLOYED
560
10th · $23.69MEDIAN · $33.2090th · $44.71
// DAVIS-BACON · FEDERAL PREVAILING WAGE3 ACTIVE WDS

Active Wage Determinations · District of Columbia

3 active Davis-Bacon Wage Determinations cover District of Columbia. Each WD sets the legal minimum wage (base + fringe by trade classification) on federally-funded construction in the counties it applies to. Showing the 3 most recently modified — click through for the per-trade rates on sam.gov.

DC20260001 · MOD 3
Heavy · Highway · Washington, D.C.
MOD
2026-01-23
DC20260002 · MOD 2
Building · Washington, D.C.
MOD
2026-01-16
DC20260003
Residential · Washington, D.C.
MOD
2026-01-02

Per-trade rates (the actual $/hr for operating engineers by county) are published on the SAM.gov detail page for each WD. Browse all 3 District of Columbia Wage Determinations on sam.gov. If a contractor on a federal job is paying below the WD, file a WH-3 with DOL WHD.

// GSA PER DIEM · FY 2026GSA

Lodging + M&IE by City

The federal government's per-diem rate is the baseline most contractors use. If your job's per diem is below this, you're subsidizing the contractor.

District of Columbia
Washington DC (also the cities of Alexandria, Falls Church and Fairfax, and the counties of Arlington and Fairfax, in Virginia; and the counties of Montgomery and Prince George's in Maryland)
$326
/day · meals $92
// ROADHAND COMMUNITY DATABE FIRST

What are workers actually earning?

Government data is a baseline. Real take-home pay — including per diem, OT rules, housing allowances — comes from workers on the ground. Submit your pay anonymously to help the next hand.

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OTHER TRADES IN DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

ElectricianWelderPipefitterIronworkerMillwrightBoilermakerCarpenterPlumberInsulator

OPERATING ENGINEER PAY IN OTHER STATES

AlaskaCaliforniaColoradoLouisianaMontanaNew MexicoNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaPennsylvaniaTexasWest VirginiaWyoming

FAQ

How much does a operating engineer earn in District of Columbia?+
According to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (2024), operating engineers in District of Columbia earn a median of $33.20/hr. That's roughly $69K/year for a full-time schedule at straight time.
What's the top pay for operating engineers in District of Columbia?+
The top 10% of operating engineers in District of Columbia earn more than $44.71/hr (BLS 2024). That represents experienced workers, supervisors, or those on high-per-diem travel contracts.
How many operating engineers work in District of Columbia?+
BLS reports 560 operating engineers employed in District of Columbia as of 2024. Numbers fluctuate with major construction cycles — when big projects like LNG terminals or data centers start, demand spikes.
Do operating engineers in District of Columbia get per diem?+
Per diem is standard on travel contracts. The federal GSA baseline for District of Columbia is typically $150-$260/day depending on the city. Contractors may set their per diem higher or lower — if it's below the GSA floor, you're subsidizing the contractor's housing budget out of pocket.
What's Davis-Bacon prevailing wage?+
Davis-Bacon rates are the legally-required minimum wages on federally-funded construction projects — base pay plus fringe benefits. Every contractor working a federal job must pay at least the Davis-Bacon rate for that county and trade. Private-sector jobs don't have to match, but many do as a competitive floor.