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Arkansas operating engineer prevailing wage, county by county
An operating engineer's Davis-Bacon prevailing wage in Arkansas runs from $15.89 an hour in Benton County to $28.21 in Faulkner County. The median county is $23.08.
Main operating engineer classification in each county (Operator: backhoe/excavator/trackhoe), Davis-Bacon wage determinations on SAM.gov, as of October 25, 2026. A contract keeps the wage determination in its bid documents. Modifications published before bid opening apply to it, though one published less than 10 days before can be left out if the agency finds there isn't time to tell bidders (29 CFR 1.6(c)). Checked October 25, 2026.
How much does an operating engineer make on prevailing wage in Arkansas?
3 groups of counties with identical rates and 69 with rates of their own, highest main rate first. The top 40 are drawn. The table below lists which counties are in each group.
- Faulkner County1 county$28.21
- Grant County1 county$28.21
- Lonoke County1 county$28.21
- Perry County1 county$28.21
- Pulaski County1 county$28.21
- Saline County1 county$28.21
- Garland County1 county$27.57
- Sevier County group2 counties$23.95
- Calhoun County1 county$23.95
- Clark County1 county$23.95
- Columbia County1 county$23.95
- Dallas County1 county$23.95
- Hempstead County1 county$23.95
- Hot Spring County1 county$23.95
- Howard County1 county$23.95
- Lafayette County1 county$23.95
- Montgomery County1 county$23.95
- Nevada County1 county$23.95
- Ouachita County1 county$23.95
- Union County1 county$23.95
- Cleveland County1 county$23.17
- Crittenden County1 county$23.17
- Jefferson County1 county$23.17
- Lincoln County1 county$23.17
- Little River County1 county$23.17
- Miller County1 county$23.17
- Logan County group2 counties$23.08
- Scott County group2 counties$23.08
- Baxter County1 county$23.08
- Boone County1 county$23.08
- Carroll County1 county$23.08
- Clay County1 county$23.08
- Cleburne County1 county$23.08
- Conway County1 county$23.08
- Cross County1 county$23.08
- Franklin County1 county$23.08
- Fulton County1 county$23.08
- Greene County1 county$23.08
- Independence County1 county$23.08
- Izard County1 county$23.08
Which counties pay which rate
| Counties | Main classification | Base + fringe | Base |
|---|---|---|---|
| Faulkner County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $28.21 | $28.21 |
| Grant County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $28.21 | $28.21 |
| Lonoke County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $28.21 | $28.21 |
| Perry County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $28.21 | $28.21 |
| Pulaski County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $28.21 | $28.21 |
| Saline County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $28.21 | $28.21 |
| Garland County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $27.57 | $27.57 |
| Sevier County group, 2 localities: Pike, Sevier | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.95 | $23.95 |
| Calhoun County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.95 | $23.95 |
| Clark County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.95 | $23.95 |
| Columbia County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.95 | $23.95 |
| Dallas County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.95 | $23.95 |
| Hempstead County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.95 | $23.95 |
| Hot Spring County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.95 | $23.95 |
| Howard County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.95 | $23.95 |
| Lafayette County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.95 | $23.95 |
| Montgomery County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.95 | $23.95 |
| Nevada County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.95 | $23.95 |
| Ouachita County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.95 | $23.95 |
| Union County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.95 | $23.95 |
| Cleveland County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.17 | $23.17 |
| Crittenden County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.17 | $23.17 |
| Jefferson County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.17 | $23.17 |
| Lincoln County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.17 | $23.17 |
| Little River County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.17 | $23.17 |
| Miller County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.17 | $23.17 |
| Logan County group, 2 localities: Logan, Marion | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.08 | $23.08 |
| Scott County group, 2 localities: Newton, Scott | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.08 | $23.08 |
| Baxter County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.08 | $23.08 |
| Boone County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.08 | $23.08 |
| Carroll County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.08 | $23.08 |
| Clay County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.08 | $23.08 |
| Cleburne County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.08 | $23.08 |
| Conway County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.08 | $23.08 |
| Cross County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.08 | $23.08 |
| Franklin County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.08 | $23.08 |
| Fulton County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.08 | $23.08 |
| Greene County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.08 | $23.08 |
| Independence County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.08 | $23.08 |
| Izard County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.08 | $23.08 |
| Jackson County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.08 | $23.08 |
| Johnson County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.08 | $23.08 |
| Lawrence County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.08 | $23.08 |
| Lee County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.08 | $23.08 |
| Mississippi County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.08 | $23.08 |
| Monroe County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.08 | $23.08 |
| Polk County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.08 | $23.08 |
| Pope County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.08 | $23.08 |
| Randolph County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.08 | $23.08 |
| Searcy County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.08 | $23.08 |
| Sharp County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.08 | $23.08 |
| St. Francis County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.08 | $23.08 |
| Stone County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.08 | $23.08 |
| Van Buren County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.08 | $23.08 |
| White County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.08 | $23.08 |
| Woodruff County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.08 | $23.08 |
| Yell County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $23.08 | $23.08 |
| Arkansas County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $22.92 | $22.92 |
| Ashley County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $22.92 | $22.92 |
| Bradley County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $22.92 | $22.92 |
| Chicot County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $22.92 | $22.92 |
| Desha County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $22.92 | $22.92 |
| Drew County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $22.92 | $22.92 |
| Phillips County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $22.92 | $22.92 |
| Prairie County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $22.92 | $22.92 |
| Craighead County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $22.75 | $22.75 |
| Poinsett County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $22.75 | $22.75 |
| Washington County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $22.32 | $22.32 |
| Madison County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $19.69 | $19.69 |
| Crawford County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $19.10 | $19.10 |
| Sebastian County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $19.10 | $19.10 |
| Benton County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $15.89 | $15.89 |
3 groups of counties with identical DOL rates, and 69 counties with rates of their own.
Questions about Arkansas operating engineer pay
What is the operating engineer prevailing wage in Pulaski County?
$28.21 an hour: a $28.21 base wage plus $0.00 in fringe benefits, under wage determination AR20260032, modification 1. Overtime and every operating engineer classification in Pulaski County.
Does operating engineer prevailing wage include fringe benefits?
Yes. In Pulaski County the $28.21 total is a $28.21 base wage plus $0.00 in fringe benefits, about 0% of the total. The employer owes the full amount for every hour worked.
Does operating engineer prevailing wage pay overtime in Arkansas?
Davis-Bacon rates are straight time. On contracts over $100,000, the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act requires 1½ times the basic rate for hours over 40 in a workweek (40 U.S.C. 3702). The fringe is owed for every hour at its straight-time amount.
Do apprentice operating engineers get this rate?
Davis-Bacon determinations list journeyworker rates. Apprentices in a program registered with DOL or a recognized state agency can be paid the program's percentage of the rate, within its ratio; anyone else gets the full rate (29 CFR 5.5(a)(4)).
Why do some counties have the same operating engineer rate?
DOL often publishes the same operating engineer rates for several counties. Across Arkansas, the 75 counties with an operating engineer rate fall into 72 distinct sets of rates, and 3 of those sets are shared by more than one county; the largest covers 2 counties (the Logan County group).