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SOC 47-2072Civil / Sitework Trades

Pile Driver Operators

Operate pile drivers mounted on skids, barges, crawler treads, or locomotive cranes to drive pilings for retaining walls, bulkheads, and foundations of structures.

Pile Driver Operators earn a median $33.55/hr ($69,780/yr). Top-paying state: New York at $50.22/hr. True labor cost with burden: ~$46.97/hr.

$33.55
Median Hourly
$35.22
Mean Hourly
$69,780
Median Annual
5,200
Employment

Wage Distribution

10th
$20.88/hr
25th
$25.55/hr
Median
$33.55/hr
75th
$43.88/hr
90th
$52.67/hr

Source: BLS OEWS May 2024. Percentiles represent the wage below which a given percentage of workers fall.

Top-Paying States

#StateMedian Hourly
1New York$50.22
2Hawaii$48.67
3Illinois$47.55
4New Jersey$46.22
5California$44.88

Top-Paying Metro Areas

#Metro AreaMedian Hourly
1New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA$55.88
2Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI$52.22
3San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA$50.55
4Honolulu, HI$49.33
5Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH$47.88

True Labor Cost: ~$46.97/hr

The base wage of $33.55/hr becomes approximately $46.97/hr after applying a 1.4x burden rate (payroll taxes, insurance, benefits, overhead).

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Frequently Asked Questions

The national median salary for pile driver operators is $69,780 per year ($33.55/hour). The mean hourly wage is $35.22. Entry-level workers (10th percentile) earn $20.88/hr while top earners (90th percentile) make $52.67/hr.
The top-paying states for pile driver operators are New York ($50.22/hr), Hawaii ($48.67/hr), Illinois ($47.55/hr), New Jersey ($46.22/hr), California ($44.88/hr). These higher wages typically reflect strong union presence, high cost of living, and prevailing wage laws.
The true cost is typically 1.4x the base wage after adding payroll taxes (7.65% FICA), workers compensation insurance (varies by trade), general liability, health insurance, retirement contributions, and paid time off. For pile driver operators earning $33.55/hr, the fully loaded rate would be approximately $46.97/hr.
According to BLS data, there are approximately 5,200 pile driver operators employed in the United States.