Career Training Path
Students training in a heavy equipment program

Career Training PathHeavy equipment operator schools › New Jersey

Heavy equipment operator schools in New Jersey

New Jersey has 2 accredited campuses awarding heavy equipment credentials. If you finish and work as a construction equipment operator in New Jersey, expect to start around $50,760–$64,100 and reach a median of $89,660 with experience; the top quarter earn $126,330 or more (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025, New Jersey). Graduates of these New Jersey 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 New Jersey

$50,760starting (10th percentile)
$64,100early career (25th)
$89,660median, all experience
$126,330experienced (75th)
$133,330top earners (90th)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; 5,980 employed in New Jersey. National median: $59,850.

Campuses in New Jersey, ranked by what their graduates earned

2campuses in New Jersey
5credentials awarded / yr
not reportedmedian earnings, yr 1 (New Jersey)
$34,973median earnings, yr 1 (U.S.)

Cities: DaytonToms River

CampusCityTypeGrads / yrEarnings, yr 1Program debtCompletionCost / yr
Ocean County Vocational-Technical School Toms River Public 5 not reported not reported 65% $17,400
International Union of Operating Engineers: Local 825 Dayton not reported not reported not reported 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 New Jersey

All trade and career schools in New Jersey →

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