WAGE DATA · SOC 47-2073

OPERATING ENGINEER PAY
IN MISSISSIPPI.

Mississippi operating engineers earn a median of $22.13/hr (BLS 2024). 4,150 workers employed statewide. Compare market wages, federal prevailing rates, and per-diem baselines below.

// BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS · STATEWIDEOEWS · MAY 2024
HOURLY MEDIAN
$22.13/hr
MEAN HOURLY
$23.28/hr
ANNUAL MEDIAN
$46K
EMPLOYED
4,150
10th · $16.28MEDIAN · $22.1390th · $31.45
// DAVIS-BACON · FEDERAL PREVAILING WAGE143 ACTIVE WDS

Active Wage Determinations · Mississippi

143 active Davis-Bacon Wage Determinations cover Mississippi. 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.

Per-trade rates (the actual $/hr for operating engineers by county) are published on the SAM.gov detail page for each WD. Browse all 143 Mississippi 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.

Oxford
Lafayette
$195
/day · meals $68
Southaven
Desoto
$194
/day · meals $68
Starkville
Oktibbeha
$193
/day · meals $68
Standard Rate
Mississippi
$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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FAQ

How much does a operating engineer earn in Mississippi?+
According to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (2024), operating engineers in Mississippi earn a median of $22.13/hr. That's roughly $46K/year for a full-time schedule at straight time.
What's the top pay for operating engineers in Mississippi?+
The top 10% of operating engineers in Mississippi earn more than $31.45/hr (BLS 2024). That represents experienced workers, supervisors, or those on high-per-diem travel contracts.
How many operating engineers work in Mississippi?+
BLS reports 4,150 operating engineers employed in Mississippi 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 Mississippi get per diem?+
Per diem is standard on travel contracts. The federal GSA baseline for Mississippi 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.