Statewide pay Government data
Paving equipment operators in Arkansas earn a statewide median of $44,010 a year, 12% below the typical U.S. metro, ranking #47 of 49 states and DC. About 490 people work in the trade statewide.
Statewide pay range
States ranked near Arkansas
See all states on the paving equipment operators nationwide.
Pay by city Government data
BLS publishes paving equipment operator pay for 3 Arkansas metros: Fayetteville, Fort Smith and Little Rock.
| Metro | Median pay | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| FayettevilleARKANSAS · AR | $47,540 | $52,040 | 100 |
| Little RockARKANSAS · AR | $46,550 | $52,090 | 140 |
| Fort SmithARKANSAS · AR | $37,210 | $43,324 | 30 |
Pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025 (metro-level). Real pay: BEA price parities, 2024. How we calculate
Pay outside the cities Government data
BLS also reports pay for Arkansas's rural (nonmetropolitan) regions.
BLS OEWS nonmetropolitan areas, May 2025.
The job (national)
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.
Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 0.9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,100 openings a year. Typical training: moderate-term on-the-job training.
Nationally, paving equipment operators have 19 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 78% below the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is being struck by or caught in objects and equipment.
What the work is like Government data
How often paving equipment operators deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes some preparation (high school plus months of training).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Licensing in Arkansas Official source
The main state licensing office in Arkansas is the Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing. Home of the Contractors Licensing Board; some trades are licensed by other state agencies. It can point you to the right license for paving equipment operators.
Official Arkansas licensing site ↗
Requirements for paving equipment operators vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
Union membership
In 2025, 2.8% of wage and salary workers in Arkansas were union members, below the U.S. rate of about 10% (#48 of 51 states and D.C.), and 3.5% were covered by a union contract. These figures cover all jobs in the state, not only paving equipment operators.
BLS Union Members, 2025 (Current Population Survey), table 5.
Cities in Arkansas
All trades in Arkansas.