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Chatham County, GA · Operating Engineer
Operating Engineer prevailing wage in Chatham County, Georgia
$30.06an hour, base + fringe
$19.78 wage + $10.28 fringe benefits · Building · SUGA2017-032
On federally funded or assisted building construction in Chatham County, an operating engineer must be paid at least $30.06 an hour: a $19.78 base wage plus $10.28 in fringe benefits, under wage determination GA20260317 (modification 2). DOL prints no total, so $30.06 is our sum of the two.
Wage determination GA20260317, modification 2, published May 18, 2026, for building construction; rate identifier SUGA2017-032 (April 15, 2021). Checked against sam.gov on October 25, 2026.
Davis-Bacon is the only prevailing wage here (federally funded or assisted work). Georgia has no state prevailing wage law (DOL state table).
DOL lists 23 operating engineer rates for Chatham County, from $8.96 to $54.61 an hour. See all of them.
Base wage and fringe benefits: $19.78 + $10.28
The base wage is the taxable hourly wage. DOL prints the fringe benefits as one hourly figure, not itemized; it can go to health, pension, vacation and training plans, or be paid as cash where the state allows.
| Base wage (taxable) | $19.78 |
| Fringe benefits (one figure, not itemized) | $10.28 |
| Base + fringe benefits (our sum; DOL prints no total) | $30.06 |
When this rate changes
- 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)).
- DOL changes a WD by publishing a numbered modification on SAM.gov. This page reads the modification named in the Source line; the Georgia change log lists what each one changed.
Every operating engineer rate in Chatham County
As DOL lists them. The highlighted row is the one this page leads with.
- OPERATOR: CRANEBuilding · ENGI0926-005$54.61
- OPERATOR: FORKLIFTBuilding · ENGI0926-006$49.01
- OPERATING ENGINEERS: BACKHOE, COMPACTOR, AND LOADERResidential · ENGI0474-007$47.87
- OPERATOR: CRANEHighway · SUGA2022-005$39.31
- OPERATOR: BOBCAT/SKID STEER/SKID LOADERBuilding · SUGA2017-032$38.85
- OPERATOR: GRADER/BLADEHighway · SUGA2022-005$31.74
- OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOEBuilding · SUGA2017-032$30.06
- OPERATOR: PAVER (ASPHALT, AGGREGATE, AND CONCRETE)Highway · SUGA2022-005$27.32
- OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOEHighway · SUGA2022-005$27.13
- OPERATOR: CRANEHeavy · SUGA2017-001$25.45
- OPERATOR: LOADERHighway · SUGA2022-005$24.72
- OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOEHeavy · SUGA2017-001$24.09
- OPERATOR: BULLDOZERHighway · SUGA2022-005$22.82
- OPERATOR: ROLLERHighway · SUGA2022-005$22.50
- OPERATOR: LOADERHeavy · SUGA2017-001$22.13
- OPERATOR: GRADER/BLADEBuilding · SUGA2017-032$16.80
- OPERATOR: BULLDOZERResidential · SUGA2008-087$16.71
- OPERATOR: BULLDOZERHeavy · SUGA2017-001$16.29
- OPERATOR: BULLDOZERBuilding · SUGA2017-032$15.23
- OPERATOR: LOADERBuilding · SUGA2017-032$14.86
- OPERATOR: ROLLERBuilding · SUGA2017-032$14.05
- OPERATOR: ROLLERHeavy · SUGA2017-001$11.89
- OPERATOR: EXCAVATORResidential · SUGA2008-087$8.96
| Classification | Base + fringe | Base | Fringe benefits | WD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OPERATOR: CRANEBuildingENGI0926-005 | $54.61 | $38.53 | $16.08 | GA20260317 Mod 2 |
| OPERATOR: FORKLIFTBuildingENGI0926-006 | $49.01 | $32.93 | $16.08 | GA20260317 Mod 2 |
| OPERATOR: ROLLERBuildingSUGA2017-032 | $14.05 | $14.05 | $0.00 | GA20260317 Mod 2 |
| OPERATOR: LOADERBuildingSUGA2017-032 | $14.86 | $14.86 | $0.00 | GA20260317 Mod 2 |
| OPERATOR: GRADER/BLADEBuildingSUGA2017-032 | $16.80 | $16.80 | $0.00 | GA20260317 Mod 2 |
| OPERATOR: BULLDOZERBuildingSUGA2017-032 | $15.23 | $15.23 | $0.00 | GA20260317 Mod 2 |
| OPERATOR: BOBCAT/SKID STEER/SKID LOADERBuildingSUGA2017-032 | $38.85 | $26.53 | $12.32 | GA20260317 Mod 2 |
| OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOEBuildingSUGA2017-032 | $30.06 | $19.78 | $10.28 | GA20260317 Mod 2 |
| OPERATOR: ROLLERHighwaySUGA2022-005 | $22.50 | $18.51 | $3.99 | GA20260065 Mod 1 |
| OPERATOR: PAVER (ASPHALT, AGGREGATE, AND CONCRETE)HighwaySUGA2022-005 | $27.32 | $23.22 | $4.10 | GA20260065 Mod 1 |
| OPERATOR: LOADERHighwaySUGA2022-005 | $24.72 | $22.81 | $1.91 | GA20260065 Mod 1 |
| OPERATOR: GRADER/BLADEHighwaySUGA2022-005 | $31.74 | $26.31 | $5.43 | GA20260065 Mod 1 |
| OPERATOR: CRANEHighwaySUGA2022-005 | $39.31 | $39.31 | $0.00 | GA20260065 Mod 1 |
| OPERATOR: BULLDOZERHighwaySUGA2022-005 | $22.82 | $22.82 | $0.00 | GA20260065 Mod 1 |
| OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOEHighwaySUGA2022-005 | $27.13 | $23.40 | $3.73 | GA20260065 Mod 1 |
| OPERATOR: ROLLERHeavySUGA2017-001 | $11.89 | $11.89 | $0.00 | GA20260286 Mod 1 |
| OPERATOR: LOADERHeavySUGA2017-001 | $22.13 | $22.13 | $0.00 | GA20260286 Mod 1 |
| OPERATOR: CRANEHeavySUGA2017-001 | $25.45 | $25.45 | $0.00 | GA20260286 Mod 1 |
| OPERATOR: BULLDOZERHeavySUGA2017-001 | $16.29 | $16.29 | $0.00 | GA20260286 Mod 1 |
| OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOEHeavySUGA2017-001 | $24.09 | $22.79 | $1.30 | GA20260286 Mod 1 |
| OPERATING ENGINEERS: BACKHOE, COMPACTOR, AND LOADERResidentialENGI0474-007 | $47.87 | $30.17 | $17.70 | GA20260031 Mod 1 |
| OPERATOR: EXCAVATORResidentialSUGA2008-087 | $8.96 | $8.96 | $0.00 | GA20260031 Mod 1 |
| OPERATOR: BULLDOZERResidentialSUGA2008-087 | $16.71 | $13.66 | $3.05 | GA20260031 Mod 1 |
How Chatham County compares
The main operating engineer rate in every county that has one, and how the pay splits here and nearby. All bars use the same scale.
Every county in Georgia
Wage and fringe benefits, nearby
- Chatham Countybase $19.78$30.06
- Bryan Countybase $19.78$30.06
- Liberty Countybase $19.78$30.06
- Bulloch Countybase $14.00$14.00
Operating Engineer rates in nearby counties
Current DOL rates. Davis-Bacon rates are set for groups of counties, so neighbours often share them; the county where the work is done decides.
| County | Classification | Base + fringe | Base | vs Chatham County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chatham County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $30.06 | $19.78 | |
| Bryan County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $30.06 | $19.78 | same |
| Liberty County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $30.06 | $19.78 | same |
| Effingham County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $30.06 | $19.78 | same |
| McIntosh County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $30.06 | $19.78 | same |
| Long County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOE | $30.06 | $19.78 | same |
| Bulloch County | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR | $14.00 | $14.00 | −$16.06 |
Georgia operating engineer prevailing wage by county, with a map
More from DOL on this rate
- DOL wage determination
- SAM.gov wage determinations
- 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)).
Are you being paid this rate?
Add your base pay to the fringe your employer pays for you, in cash or into plans, and compare the sum with the total. The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division takes complaints: 1-866-487-9243, or dol.gov/agencies/whd/contact/complaints.
Source
U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (DOL), wage determination GA20260317 Mod 2, published May 18, 2026: sam.gov/wage-determination/GA20260317/2
We read every active Georgia Davis-Bacon wage determination from SAM.gov's own data and check every number with a second, independent read of the same file. DOL prints no total; ours is base plus fringe. How we check · Download Chatham County as CSV · Report an error