Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators Salary
The median pay for a paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators in St. Louis, MO-IL is $76,800/year ($36.93/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $46K at the entry level to $98K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.09), that's roughly $80,766 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,218/month, or 24.1% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $77K get you in St. Louis?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by St. Louis’s Regional Price Parity (95.09). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
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What this looks like in St. Louis
St. Louis sits well above the national pay line for paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators, local pay runs about 44% higher than the U.S. median of $53K. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,218/month, 24.5% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Cost of living (RPP 95.09) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Combined with manageable housing costs, St. Louis offers a genuinely strong financial position for paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operatorss at the median.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators in metros near St. Louis, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City | $66K | $72K |
| Jefferson City | $61K | $69K |
| St. Joseph | $75K | $87K |
| Springfield | $47K | $53K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, St. Louis, MO-IL
Entry-level paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators (10th percentile) start around $46K. Mid-career wages sit at $77K. Top earners bring in $98K or more, a $52K spread from bottom to top.
Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $111K | +109% | N/A |
| District of Columbia | $91K | +71% | 70 |
| Washington | $91K | +70% | 530 |
| Alaska | $84K | +57% | 80 |
| California | $83K | +56% | 1,400 |
| Connecticut | $77K | +45% | N/A |
| Idaho | $73K | +37% | 130 |
| Illinois | $73K | +37% | 950 |
| Missouri | $69K | +30% | 1,560 |
| Wisconsin | $69K | +29% | 960 |
| Minnesota | $68K | +28% | 830 |
| Oregon | $63K | +19% | 520 |
| Rhode Island | $63K | +18% | 160 |
| New York | $63K | +18% | 4,530 |
| New Hampshire | $62K | +16% | 260 |
| Iowa | $61K | +15% | N/A |
| Massachusetts | $61K | +14% | 560 |
| Maryland | $61K | +13% | 750 |
| Ohio | $60K | +13% | 2,370 |
| South Dakota | $60K | +13% | 130 |
| Colorado | $59K | +10% | 920 |
| Wyoming | $58K | +9% | 160 |
| Maine | $57K | +7% | 250 |
| Pennsylvania | $56K | +5% | 520 |
| Montana | $56K | +5% | 260 |
| Vermont | $55K | +3% | 70 |
| Michigan | $54K | +2% | 1,720 |
| Delaware | $54K | +1% | 150 |
| Arizona | $52K | -2% | 170 |
| Nevada | $51K | -4% | N/A |
| West Virginia | $51K | -4% | 210 |
| New Jersey | $51K | -5% | 840 |
| Indiana | $50K | -6% | 910 |
| Kansas | $49K | -8% | 540 |
| Utah | $49K | -8% | 410 |
| Louisiana | $48K | -9% | 350 |
| Virginia | $48K | -10% | 1,660 |
| North Carolina | $48K | -10% | 1,940 |
| Texas | $47K | -12% | 3,940 |
| South Carolina | $47K | -12% | 630 |
| Florida | $47K | -12% | 2,740 |
| Oklahoma | $47K | -12% | 550 |
| Georgia | $46K | -14% | 1,270 |
| New Mexico | $46K | -14% | 990 |
| Nebraska | $46K | -14% | 390 |
| Kentucky | $46K | -14% | 110 |
| Arkansas | $44K | -17% | 490 |
| Tennessee | $43K | -20% | 1,730 |
| Alabama | $42K | -21% | 700 |
| Mississippi | $37K | -31% | 470 |
Showing 1–10 of 50 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators salary changes
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Frequently asked questions
Can a paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operator afford a 2BR apartment alone in St. Louis?
Yes — at the median salary of $77K, rent takes 24.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,218/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators in St. Louis?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators typically earn — is $46K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,753/month. At HUD’s $1,218/month FMR, rent would take 44% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operator a high-paying job in St. Louis?
Local pay is 44% above the national median — $77K here vs. $53K nationally.
How does St. Louis compare to the national average for paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators?
St. Louis pays $77K median vs. the U.S. average of $53K — that’s +44%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.09), the purchasing-power equivalent is $81K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators make in St. Louis, MO-IL?
The median is $76,800 a year, that works out to about $37 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $45,890, and experienced paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators can clear $97,610. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $77K enough to live in St. Louis?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,962/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,218/month, which eats 24.5% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators salary go in St. Louis?
St. Louis has a Regional Price Parity of 95.09 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators salary is worth about $80,766 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.