WAGE DATA · SOC 47-2073

OPERATING ENGINEER PAY
IN MARYLAND.

Maryland operating engineers earn a median of $29.14/hr (BLS 2024). 6,470 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
$29.14/hr
MEAN HOURLY
$29.38/hr
ANNUAL MEDIAN
$61K
EMPLOYED
6,470
10th · $19.78MEDIAN · $29.1490th · $38.04
// DAVIS-BACON · FEDERAL PREVAILING WAGE66 ACTIVE WDS

Active Wage Determinations · Maryland

66 active Davis-Bacon Wage Determinations cover Maryland. Each WD sets the legal minimum wage (base + fringe by trade classification) on federally-funded construction in the counties it applies to. Showing the 12 most recently modified — click through for the per-trade rates on sam.gov.

MD20260005 · MOD 1
Heavy · Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Baltimore City +21
MOD
2026-01-30
MD20260107
Building · Baltimore City
MOD
2026-01-02
MD20260112
Building · Cecil
MOD
2026-01-02
MD20260109
Building · Calvert
MOD
2026-01-02
MD20260110
Building · Caroline
MOD
2026-01-02
MD20260111
Building · Carroll
MOD
2026-01-02
MD20260108
Building · Baltimore
MOD
2026-01-02
MD20260113
Building · Charles
MOD
2026-01-02
MD20260114
Building · Dorchester
MOD
2026-01-02
MD20260115
Building · Frederick
MOD
2026-01-02
MD20260116
Building · Garrett
MOD
2026-01-02
MD20260001
Residential · Dorchester
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 66 Maryland 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
Ocean City
Worcester
$240
/day · meals $80
Baltimore City
Baltimore City
$236
/day · meals $86
Cambridge / St. Michaels
Dorchester / Talbot
$235
/day · meals $80
Annapolis
Anne Arundel
$223
/day · meals $80
Centreville
Queen Anne
$212
/day · meals $74
Columbia
Howard
$199
/day · meals $86
Aberdeen / Bel Air / Belcamp
Harford
$187
/day · meals $74
Standard Rate
Maryland
$178
/day · meals $68
// 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 MARYLAND

ElectricianWelderPipefitterIronworkerMillwrightBoilermakerCarpenterPlumberInsulator

OPERATING ENGINEER PAY IN OTHER STATES

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FAQ

How much does a operating engineer earn in Maryland?+
According to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (2024), operating engineers in Maryland earn a median of $29.14/hr. That's roughly $61K/year for a full-time schedule at straight time.
What's the top pay for operating engineers in Maryland?+
The top 10% of operating engineers in Maryland earn more than $38.04/hr (BLS 2024). That represents experienced workers, supervisors, or those on high-per-diem travel contracts.
How many operating engineers work in Maryland?+
BLS reports 6,470 operating engineers employed in Maryland 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 Maryland get per diem?+
Per diem is standard on travel contracts. The federal GSA baseline for Maryland 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.