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Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators in Washington

Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators in Washington

Considering working as a Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators in Washington? Here’s what you need to know. 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.

What do Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators Make in Washington?

For paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators working in Washington, wages run about $77,180 per year (or roughly $37.11/hour).Annual wages span from $61,580 at the 10th percentile to $128,590 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic Annual Hourly
10th percentile $61,580 $29.61
25th percentile $65,620 $31.55
Median (50th) $77,180 $37.11
75th percentile $93,920 $45.15
90th percentile $128,590 $61.82
Salary ranges for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators in Washington

The job concentration index in Washington relative to the national average — is 0.38, indicating fewer paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators per worker than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators earn a median of $64,008 per year ($30.77/hour), higher than the Washington median.

Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators earnings in Washington vs. the national average

Employment Outlook

There are roughly 196,299 paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators across the United States. In Washington alone, about 390 people work in this role. That’s below the typical state, which employs around 540 paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators.

Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators in Washington vs. the average state Forecasted number of jobs for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators

Top Washington Metros for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators

The metro areas below employ the most paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators in Washington.

Metro Area Number Employed Annual Median Salary
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 230 $80,510

Top States for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators Employment

View the states that employ the most paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators work.

State Number Employed
Texas 5,140
New York 4,200
Florida 3,000
Ohio 2,220
Virginia 2,180
Michigan 2,160
California 1,920
Tennessee 1,550
Missouri 1,550
Wisconsin 1,480
Georgia 1,440
North Carolina 1,310
Illinois 1,300
Colorado 1,260
Minnesota 1,130
New Mexico 1,060
Massachusetts 1,050
Indiana 860
New Jersey 850
Maryland 760

Highest-Paying States for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators

Where paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators earn the most: paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators.

State Annual Median Salary
Hawaii $108,570
Alaska $97,670
California $79,460
Wisconsin $79,440
Washington $77,180
Missouri $70,520
District of Columbia $70,030
Minnesota $68,920
Illinois $66,130
New York $63,860

Skills

The most important paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Operations Monitoring  3.6 / 5
0
5
Operation and Control  3.4 / 5
0
5
Monitoring  3.2 / 5
0
5
Critical Thinking  3.0 / 5
0
5
Coordination  3.0 / 5
0
5
Repairing  3.0 / 5
0
5

Knowledge Areas

Important knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Building and Construction  3.6 / 5
0
5
Mechanical  3.3 / 5
0
5
Mathematics  2.8 / 5
0
5
Public Safety and Security  2.7 / 5
0
5
Physics  2.7 / 5
0
5
Customer and Personal Service  2.7 / 5
0
5

Abilities

Top abilities for paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Control Precision  3.8 / 5
0
5
Problem Sensitivity  3.6 / 5
0
5
Multilimb Coordination  3.4 / 5
0
5
Rate Control  3.2 / 5
0
5
Reaction Time  3.2 / 5
0
5
Far Vision  3.1 / 5
0
5

Daily Tasks

Day-to-day, paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators typically:

  • Start machine, engage clutch, and push and move levers to guide machine along forms or guidelines and to control the operation of machine attachments.
  • Fill tanks, hoppers, or machines with paving materials.
  • Control paving machines to push dump trucks and to maintain a constant flow of asphalt or other material into hoppers or screeds.
  • Observe distribution of paving material to adjust machine settings or material flow, and indicate low spots for workers to add material.
  • Coordinate truck dumping.
  • Drive machines onto truck trailers, and drive trucks to transport machines and material to and from job sites.
  • Inspect, clean, maintain, and repair equipment, using mechanics' hand tools, or report malfunctions to supervisors.
  • Set up and tear down equipment.
  • Operate machines to spread, smooth, level, or steel-reinforce stone, concrete, or asphalt on road beds.
  • Light burners or start heating units of machines, and regulate screed temperatures and asphalt flow rates.
  • Control traffic.
  • Shovel blacktop.

Work Activities

  • Controlling Machines and Processes
  • Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
  • Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment
  • Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People
  • Performing General Physical Activities
  • Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
  • Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems
  • Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
  • Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
  • Training and Teaching Others

Tools & Technology

Technologies frequently used: Hot technologies: Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D

What Major Will Prepare You For This Career?

Related college programs include:

  • Ground Transportation

Other careers like paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators include:

Also Known As

Asphalt Distributor Operator, Asphalt Distributor Tender, Asphalt Equipment Crew Member, Asphalt Equipment Operator, Asphalt Paver, Asphalt Paver Operator, Asphalt Paving Machine Operator, Asphalt Paving Operator, Asphalt Plant Operator, Asphalt Raker, Asphalt Roller Operator, Asphalt Screed Operator, Asphalt Screedman, Asphalt Spreader Operator, Asphalt Surface Heater Operator.

References

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