Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators

Median salary

$53,340

Average salary

$59,000

Employment

41,820

Projected growth

3.2% growth

Annual openings

4,000

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

What Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators Do

Operate 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.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed: 2.7%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 2 of 5

Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed

Experience: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
Education: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Job training: Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Building and Constructionimportance 3.6/5
Mechanicalimportance 3.3/5
Mathematicsimportance 2.8/5
Physicsimportance 2.7/5
Public Safety and Securityimportance 2.7/5
Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 2.7/5
Chemistryimportance 2.5/5
Administration and Managementimportance 2.4/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.3/5
Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions4.3/5
Exposed to Whole Body Vibration4.3/5
Exposed to Hazardous Equipment4.3/5
Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets4.3/5
Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable4.2/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators97% skill match
Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas96% skill match
Pile Driver Operators96% skill match
Roustabouts, Oil and Gas95% skill match
Outdoor Power Equipment and Other Small Engine Mechanics95% skill match
Engine and Other Machine Assemblers95% skill match
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic95% skill match
Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic95% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Operations Monitoringimportance 3.6/5
Operation and Controlimportance 3.4/5
Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
Troubleshootingimportance 3.0/5
Repairingimportance 3.0/5
Equipment Maintenanceimportance 2.9/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 2.9/5
Quality Control Analysisimportance 2.8/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Dependability
Cautiousness
Stress Tolerance
Attention to Detail
Integrity
Perseverance
Self-Control

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

RealisticHigh
ConventionalMedium
InvestigativeLow
ArtisticLow
SocialLow
EnterprisingLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).