Heavy Equipment Mechanic Salary: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
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The median annual wage for Heavy Equipment Mechanic in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX was $62,410 in May 2025 (BLS). The middle half of workers earned between $55,920 and $78,040.
Broader occupation Our title "Heavy Equipment Mechanic" is reported by BLS as SOC 49-3042 Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines. BLS groups Heavy Equipment Mechanic within Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines; it does not publish this niche title or credential level separately.
The Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX median is $3,100 below the national median of $65,510 (-4.7%).
Annual wages
Heavy Equipment Mechanic, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, annual wages: 10% earned less than $46,330, half earned less than the median of $62,410, 90% earned less than $93,090 (BLS, May 2025).
| Measure | Annual wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $46,330 | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $55,920 | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $62,410 | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $78,040 | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $93,090 | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $67,650 | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
Hourly wages
Heavy Equipment Mechanic, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, hourly wages: 10% earned less than $22.28, half earned less than the median of $30.01, 90% earned less than $44.76 (BLS, May 2025).
| Measure | Hourly wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $22.28 per hour | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $26.88 per hour | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $30.01 per hour | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $37.52 per hour | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $44.76 per hour | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $32.52 per hour | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
National comparison
| Measure | Annual wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $46,820 | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $56,970 | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $65,510 | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $79,270 | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $94,460 | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $69,240 | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 49-3042 Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX.
What BLS wages include. Base pay plus any guaranteed or production-based incentive pay. They leave out overtime, discretionary bonus, benefits, per diem and relocation.
BLS definitions, verbatim
wages
Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
hours
Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly wages by 2,080 hours; for occupations where hourly wages are not published, annual wages were taken directly from the reported survey data.
Which related roles have a different BLS occupation?
A supervisory occupation is not an experience percentile for the craft. Compare the actual responsibilities and the published SOC.
Shop Foreman (49-1011)What do these published wages mean for an offer?
Skilled Trades Headhunters reads the May 2025 figures for Heavy Equipment Mechanic in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX as an offer reference, not a quote for a particular candidate. For Heavy Equipment Mechanic in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, the published median for SOC 49-3042, Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines, is $62,410 per year. The middle half of the Heavy Equipment Mechanic in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX wage distribution runs from $55,920 to $78,040, a width of $22,120 per year; that spread shows how much published pay varies within the occupation and area, without assigning experience levels.
Against the United States estimate, the Heavy Equipment Mechanic in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX median is $3,100 below the national median of $65,510. For Heavy Equipment Mechanic, Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX reports $62,100 per year, $310 below Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX; For Heavy Equipment Mechanic, College Station-Bryan, TX reports $63,340 per year, $930 above Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX. The neighbors used for Heavy Equipment Mechanic in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX are the nearest metro representative points with a released median, using Census geography, not a commuting or cost-of-living adjustment.
The highest published medians among the selected national industry rows for Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines, read alongside Heavy Equipment Mechanic in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, are Support Activities for Water Transportation at $129,310 per year (NAICS 488300); Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing at $117,580 per year (NAICS 336400); Support Activities for Transportation at $101,870 per year (NAICS 488000). Those Heavy Equipment Mechanic in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX industry comparisons are national cross-sections, not local industry estimates; BLS does not give us a metro-by-industry wage cut here, and overlapping industry groups should not be added together.
The Heavy Equipment Mechanic in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX median was $62,330 per year in May 2024, compared with $62,410 in May 2025, a published difference of $80. That Heavy Equipment Mechanic in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX comparison is between separate BLS releases, not the raise paid to the same workers or a projection of next year's offer. Read the $62,330 and $62,410 Heavy Equipment Mechanic in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX estimates with both dates visible, because the employers and workers represented by the survey can change.
Before offering $62,410 per year for Heavy Equipment Mechanic in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, separate overtime, per diem, lodging and mobilization separately; prevailing wage obligations and union scale depend on the assignment and agreement, not a special BLS traveling-worker percentile. The Heavy Equipment Mechanic in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX BLS comparison includes ordinary wages and qualifying incentive pay, but leaves overtime, discretionary bonuses, benefits and relocation outside this wage figure. A candidate's take-home pay and the employer's total cost for Heavy Equipment Mechanic in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX can therefore differ from the median without either number being an error.
The mapping for Heavy Equipment Mechanic in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX is broader: BLS groups Heavy Equipment Mechanic within Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines; it does not publish this niche title or credential level separately. When calibrating a Heavy Equipment Mechanic in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX opening, the work checks include Hydraulics, diesel, electrical diagnostics; manufacturer diagnostic software or manufacturer diagnostic software; ask for evidence of that scope instead of using a percentile as a substitute for qualification. A broader occupation can combine jobs that a Heavy Equipment Mechanic in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX buyer would screen separately, which is why the badge and SOC remain beside the figures.
Questions about this occupation and area
What does the middle-half band tell a Heavy Equipment Mechanic in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX buyer?
Heavy Equipment Mechanic in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX has a published middle-half band of $55,920 to $78,040, a width of $22,120 per year, with median $62,410. An offer inside that Heavy Equipment Mechanic in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX band is not automatically competitive for every scope; match the required work and the separate pay terms first.
Which areas should I compare before hiring Heavy Equipment Mechanic in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX and College Station-Bryan, TX are the nearest published metro reference points used for Heavy Equipment Mechanic in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX. Comparing those Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines tables with the $62,410 Heavy Equipment Mechanic in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX median does not measure commuting costs or predict what a particular applicant will accept.
Are the industry figures local to Heavy Equipment Mechanic in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
Heavy Equipment Mechanic in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX uses national industry rows for SOC 49-3042, not local sector-specific wages. Support Activities for Water Transportation leads the selected sortable rows at $129,310 per year, but that national industry figure is not a quoted offer for Heavy Equipment Mechanic in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX.
What changed between the releases for Heavy Equipment Mechanic in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
Heavy Equipment Mechanic in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX moved from $62,330 in May 2024 to $62,410 in May 2025. These Heavy Equipment Mechanic in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX published medians do not describe an individual raise or establish a future wage trend.
What changed since May 2024
SOC 49-3042. Published annual median: $62,330 (May 2024) and $62,410 (May 2025). These are two BLS releases, not a projection.