Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators
Also called: Equipment Operator (EO), Paver Operator, Roller Operator, Screed OperatorOperate equipment used for applying concrete, asphalt, or other materials to road beds, parking lots, or airport runways and taxiways or for tamping gravel, dirt, or other materials. Includes concrete and asphalt paving machine operators, form tampers, tamping machine operators, and stone spreader operators.
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What the data says: AI couldn't halve the time on any of its 20 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 0.9% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 5.1% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Construction equipment operators”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 12.8 hires for every 10 job openings in construction, which employs about 77% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.12.8 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $41,880 | $36,900 to $49,110 | 700 |
| Alaska | $83,520 | $66,830 to $100,240 | 80 |
| Arizona | $52,140 | $49,860 to $75,710 | 170 |
| Arkansas | $44,010 | $38,050 to $48,690 | 490 |
| California | $83,130 | $64,270 to $126,640 | 1,400 |
| Colorado | $58,810 | $48,810 to $62,610 | 920 |
| Connecticut | $77,480 | $61,230 to $96,160 | not published |
| Delaware | $54,020 | $31,200 to $58,580 | 150 |
| District of Columbia | $91,280 | $72,180 to $91,280 | 70 |
| Florida | $46,840 | $40,140 to $51,950 | 2,740 |
| Georgia | $46,100 | $39,350 to $49,200 | 1,270 |
| Hawaii | $111,360 | $83,300 to $111,370 | not published |
| Idaho | $73,210 | $57,050 to $96,250 | 130 |
| Illinois | $73,060 | $56,000 to $102,240 | 950 |
| Indiana | $50,380 | $46,110 to $67,150 | 910 |
| Iowa | $61,110 | $57,100 to $61,130 | not published |
| Kansas | $49,070 | $45,900 to $60,450 | 540 |
| Kentucky | $45,660 | $40,720 to $49,570 | 110 |
| Louisiana | $48,450 | $43,570 to $64,020 | 350 |
| Maine | $57,020 | $49,590 to $74,670 | 250 |
| Maryland | $60,530 | $52,360 to $63,130 | 750 |
| Massachusetts | $60,950 | $55,790 to $77,940 | 560 |
| Michigan | $54,220 | $45,420 to $62,380 | 1,720 |
| Minnesota | $68,180 | $61,930 to $80,450 | 830 |
| Mississippi | $37,030 | $33,460 to $45,260 | 470 |
| Missouri | $69,400 | $48,930 to $92,420 | 1,560 |
| Montana | $55,920 | $48,890 to $68,180 | 260 |
| Nebraska | $45,760 | $43,480 to $53,480 | 390 |
| Nevada | $51,400 | $46,410 to $64,390 | not published |
| New Hampshire | $62,080 | $56,780 to $72,540 | 260 |
| New Jersey | $50,500 | $44,450 to $59,600 | 840 |
| New Mexico | $45,880 | $39,960 to $51,430 | 990 |
| New York | $62,760 | $56,840 to $98,120 | 4,530 |
| North Carolina | $47,820 | $40,630 to $53,890 | 1,940 |
| Ohio | $60,280 | $47,490 to $79,610 | 2,370 |
| Oklahoma | $46,760 | $44,680 to $50,240 | 550 |
| Oregon | $63,310 | $59,950 to $73,930 | 520 |
| Pennsylvania | $56,010 | $48,720 to $63,600 | 520 |
| Puerto Rico | $29,460 | $27,440 to $32,900 | 230 |
| Rhode Island | $63,060 | $59,410 to $77,580 | 160 |
| South Carolina | $46,950 | $40,160 to $49,150 | 630 |
| South Dakota | $60,140 | $54,830 to $69,680 | 130 |
| Tennessee | $42,510 | $37,770 to $51,740 | 1,730 |
| Texas | $47,060 | $41,620 to $54,610 | 3,940 |
| Utah | $48,860 | $45,930 to $62,470 | 410 |
| Vermont | $54,830 | $49,930 to $62,050 | 70 |
| Virginia | $48,060 | $43,590 to $57,620 | 1,660 |
| Washington | $90,530 | $73,810 to $102,000 | 530 |
| West Virginia | $51,230 | $45,370 to $58,390 | 210 |
| Wisconsin | $69,020 | $50,380 to $91,230 | 960 |
| Wyoming | $58,080 | $51,940 to $65,420 | 160 |
Nationally: $53,340. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on none of its 20 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Start machine, engage clutch, and push and move levers to guide machine along forms or guidelines and to control the operation of machine attachments. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect, clean, maintain, and repair equipment, using mechanics' hand tools, or report malfunctions to supervisors. | Not published |
| Not much | Fill tanks, hoppers, or machines with paving materials. | Not published |
| Not much | Observe distribution of paving material to adjust machine settings or material flow, and indicate low spots for workers to add material. | Not published |
| Not much | Operate machines to spread, smooth, level, or steel-reinforce stone, concrete, or asphalt on road beds. | Not published |
| Not much | Control traffic. | Not published |
See all 20 tasks
| Not much | Set up and tear down equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Shovel blacktop. | Not published |
| Not much | Operate tamping machines or manually roll surfaces to compact earth fills, foundation forms, and finished road materials, according to grade specifications. | Not published |
| Not much | Coordinate truck dumping. | Not published |
| Not much | Drive machines onto truck trailers, and drive trucks to transport machines and material to and from job sites. | Not published |
| Not much | Control paving machines to push dump trucks and to maintain a constant flow of asphalt or other material into hoppers or screeds. | Not published |
| Not much | Light burners or start heating units of machines, and regulate screed temperatures and asphalt flow rates. | Not published |
| Not much | Operate oil distributors, loaders, chip spreaders, dump trucks, and snow plows. | Not published |
| Not much | Operate machines that clean or cut expansion joints in concrete or asphalt and that rout out cracks in pavement. | Not published |
| Not much | Cut or break up pavement and drive guardrail posts, using machines equipped with interchangeable hammers. | Not published |
| Not much | Drive and operate curbing machines to extrude concrete or asphalt curbing. | Not published |
| Not much | Install dies, cutters, and extensions to screeds onto machines, using hand tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Place strips of material, such as cork, asphalt, or steel into joints, or place rolls of expansion-joint material on machines that automatically insert material. | Not published |
| Not much | Set up forms and lay out guidelines for curbs, according to written specifications, using string, spray paint, and concrete or water mixes. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 20 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 20 tasks fall under 17 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operate construction or excavation equipment | |||
| Perform general construction or extraction activities | |||
| Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing | |||
| Direct construction or extraction activities | |||
| Set up equipment | |||
| Maintain tools or equipment | |||
| Monitor operations to ensure adequate performance | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas |
Show all 17 activities
| Cut materials | |||
| Disassemble equipment | |||
| Assemble products or work aids | |||
| Build structures | |||
| Position materials or components for assembly | |||
| Apply materials to fill gaps or imperfections | |||
| Operate transportation equipment or vehicles | |||
| Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment | |||
| Direct vehicle traffic |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 916 moves out
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 11%
- 2 Clergy High +2.4% 9%
- 3 Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health Very high +6.1% 9%
- 4 Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education High -0.4% 9%
- 5 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 7%
Where people moved in from
of 699 moves in
- 1 Residential Advisors High +3.5% 8%
- 2 Production Workers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 6%
- 3 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 4 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 4%
- 5 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 41% less than high school
- 38% high school
- 21% postsecondary certificate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 15 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 19% less than high school
- 52% high school
- 18% some college
- 6% associate's
- 4% bachelor's
- 1% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Construction equipment operators” · 4,432 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Construction equipment operators”
1 program: Construction/Heavy Equipment/Earthmoving Equipment Operation.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
>85% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
| a license | not published | |
| a certification | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 2 registered apprenticeships in this occupation (ASPHALT PAVING MACHINE OPERATOR (Alt. Title: Concrete and Asphalt Equip Op); Asphalt Paving Machine Operator (Alt. Title: Concrete and Asphalt Equip Op)). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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