Career Training Path
Students training in a heavy equipment program

Career Training PathHeavy equipment operator schools › Kentucky

Heavy equipment operator schools in Kentucky

Kentucky has 1 accredited campuses awarding heavy equipment credentials. If you finish and work as a construction equipment operator in Kentucky, expect to start around $44,620–$49,040 and reach a median of $57,780 with experience; the top quarter earn $65,720 or more (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025, Kentucky). Graduates of these Kentucky programs — every graduate, whatever job they took — earned a median of not reported in their first year, against $34,973 nationally; that is the figure used to rank campuses below.

What operating engineers and other construction equipment operators earn in Kentucky

$44,620starting (10th percentile)
$49,040early career (25th)
$57,780median, all experience
$65,720experienced (75th)
$80,890top earners (90th)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; 7,050 employed in Kentucky. National median: $59,850.

Campuses in Kentucky, ranked by what their graduates earned

1campuses in Kentucky
44credentials awarded / yr
not reportedmedian earnings, yr 1 (Kentucky)
$34,973median earnings, yr 1 (U.S.)

Cities: Hazard

CampusCityTypeGrads / yrEarnings, yr 1Program debtCompletionCost / yr
Hazard Community and Technical College Hazard Public 44 not reported not reported 48% not reported

Earnings are median wages and self-employment income reported to the IRS (W-2 and Schedule SE) for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled, measured in the calendar year after finishing. They are pay only: health insurance, retirement contributions and other benefits are not included.

Ranked by median earnings of this program's graduates one year after completion (College Scorecard field-of-study, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2022-23 Completions survey; College Scorecard June 2026; Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs (DAPIP), September 2026); campuses without a reported figure follow, by credentials awarded. "Program debt" is the median federal loan debt for graduates of this program at this campus. Completion is the campus-wide 150%-of-time rate. "Not reported" means the federal file suppresses the value for privacy.

The Path · Free weekly newsletter
Career training, minus the guesswork.
Which programs finish, what graduates owe, what they earn. Every week.
Subscribe →

Other trades in Kentucky

All trade and career schools in Kentucky →

Choosing a career program? Pick with the numbers.
Completion, debt and pay for real programs, plus one practical tip a week. Free.
Subscribe →