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Benton County, MO · Operating Engineer
Operating Engineer prevailing wage in Benton County, Missouri
$22.76an hour, fringe benefits included
One rate, fringe benefits included (DLS prints no split) · Building construction · Contracting minimum (*)
On Missouri public works in Benton County, an operating engineer must be paid at least $22.76 an hour. DLS prints one rate with fringe benefits included, so there is no separate base wage.
Annual Wage Order 33 (final May 29, 2026), effective May 29, 2026. The rates attached to the call for bids "shall remain in effect for the duration of that particular contract" (RSMo 290.250). Checked against labor.mo.gov on October 25, 2026.
DLS lists 12 operating engineer rates for Benton County, from $22.76 to $22.76 an hour. See all of them.
One rate, fringe benefits included: $22.76
DLS publishes a single hourly figure that already includes fringe benefits. A contractor can pay it all as wages, or pay part as contributions to bona fide benefit plans for the worker, as long as the two add up to at least $22.76. DLS doesn't publish a base and fringe split, so this page doesn't invent one.
When does this rate change?
- The rates attached to the call for bids "shall remain in effect for the duration of that particular contract" (RSMo 290.250). Where a rate comes from a union agreement, DLS may issue replacement pages for its yearly raise.
- DLS files the initial Annual Wage Order by March 10; objections are due in 30 days and the final order by July 1 (RSMo 290.262). AWO 33 was filed March 10, 2026 and became final May 29, 2026.
Every operating engineer rate in Benton County
As DLS lists them. The highlighted row is the one this page leads with.
- Operating EngineerBuilding construction · Contracting minimum (*)$22.76
- Operating Engineer - Group IBuilding construction · Contracting minimum (*)$22.76
- Operating Engineer - Group IIBuilding construction · Contracting minimum (*)$22.76
- Operating Engineer - Group IIIBuilding construction · Contracting minimum (*)$22.76
- Operating Engineer - Group III - ABuilding construction · Contracting minimum (*)$22.76
- Operating Engineer - Group IVBuilding construction · Contracting minimum (*)$22.76
- Operating Engineer - Group VBuilding construction · Contracting minimum (*)$22.76
- Operating EngineerHeavy & highway construction · Contracting minimum (*)$22.76
- Operating Engineer - Group IHeavy & highway construction · Contracting minimum (*)$22.76
- Operating Engineer - Group IIHeavy & highway construction · Contracting minimum (*)$22.76
- Operating Engineer - Group IIIHeavy & highway construction · Contracting minimum (*)$22.76
- Operating Engineer - Group IVHeavy & highway construction · Contracting minimum (*)$22.76
| Classification | Base wage | Fringe benefits | Total rate | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating EngineerBuilding constructionContracting minimum (*) | incl. | incl. | $22.76 | May 29, 2026 |
| Operating Engineer - Group IBuilding constructionContracting minimum (*) | incl. | incl. | $22.76 | May 29, 2026 |
| Operating Engineer - Group IIBuilding constructionContracting minimum (*) | incl. | incl. | $22.76 | May 29, 2026 |
| Operating Engineer - Group IIIBuilding constructionContracting minimum (*) | incl. | incl. | $22.76 | May 29, 2026 |
| Operating Engineer - Group III - ABuilding constructionContracting minimum (*) | incl. | incl. | $22.76 | May 29, 2026 |
| Operating Engineer - Group IVBuilding constructionContracting minimum (*) | incl. | incl. | $22.76 | May 29, 2026 |
| Operating Engineer - Group VBuilding constructionContracting minimum (*) | incl. | incl. | $22.76 | May 29, 2026 |
| Operating EngineerHeavy & highway constructionContracting minimum (*) | incl. | incl. | $22.76 | May 29, 2026 |
| Operating Engineer - Group IHeavy & highway constructionContracting minimum (*) | incl. | incl. | $22.76 | May 29, 2026 |
| Operating Engineer - Group IIHeavy & highway constructionContracting minimum (*) | incl. | incl. | $22.76 | May 29, 2026 |
| Operating Engineer - Group IIIHeavy & highway constructionContracting minimum (*) | incl. | incl. | $22.76 | May 29, 2026 |
| Operating Engineer - Group IVHeavy & highway constructionContracting minimum (*) | incl. | incl. | $22.76 | May 29, 2026 |
Davis-Bacon operating engineer rate in Benton County
Federally funded or assisted construction here uses the U.S. Department of Labor's wage determinations. When a contract requires both the state rate and the Davis-Bacon rate, paying the higher of the two meets both. The contract documents say which apply.
We don't put a federal figure next to DLS's here, because the federal determinations split this trade into groups that don't line up with DLS's. The federal rows for this trade are below; match the classification to the work.
| Construction | Federal classification | Base wage | Total rate | WD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building | POWER EQUIPMENT OPERATOR: ROLLER (BENTON COUNTY)ENGI0101-017 | $45.48 | $67.90 | MO20260029 Mod 1 |
| Building | POWER EQUIPMENT OPERATOR: LOADER (BENTON COUNTY)ENGI0101-017 | $45.48 | $67.90 | MO20260029 Mod 1 |
| Building | POWER EQUIPMENT OPERATOR: GRADER/BLADE (BENTON COUNTY)ENGI0101-017 | $45.48 | $67.90 | MO20260029 Mod 1 |
| Building | OPERATOR: PAVER (ASPHALT, AGGREGATE, AND CONCRETE)SUMO2010-028 | $24.47 | $24.47 | MO20260029 Mod 1 |
| Building | OPERATOR: BACKHOE/TRACKHOESUMO2010-028 | $23.55 | $31.02 | MO20260029 Mod 1 |
| Highway, Heavy | POWER EQUIPMENT OPERATORS: GROUP 1 - ASPHALT ROLLER OPERATOR, FINISH; ASPHALT PAVER AND SPREADER; ASPHALT PLANT OPERATOR; AUTO GRADER OR TRIMMER OR SUB-GRADER; …ENGI0101-001 | $38.83 | $60.70 | MO20260001 Mod 4 |
| Highway, Heavy | POWER EQUIPMENT OPERATORS: GROUP 2: AIR TUGGER WITH PLANT AIR; BOILER (FOR POWER OR HEATING SHELL OF BUILDING OR TEMPORARY ENCLOSURES IN CONNECTION WITH …ENGI0513-004 | $45.96 | $76.92 | MO20260001 Mod 4 |
Davis-Bacon rates from SAM.gov, read October 25, 2026. Our federal totals are base plus fringe; DOL prints no total. Missouri Davis-Bacon changes
How Benton County compares
The main operating engineer rate in every county that has one. All bars use the same scale.
Every county in Missouri
Rates nearby
- Benton Countyfringes included$22.76
- Morgan Countyfringes included$23.24
- Hickory Countyfringes included$21.72
- Henry Countyfringes included$28.91
Operating Engineer rates in nearby counties
Current DLS rates. "Locality" is the county where the physical work is done; the City of St. Louis has its own section (RSMo 290.210(5)).
| County | Classification | Base wage | Total rate | vs Benton County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Clair County | Operating Engineer | incl. | $76.68 | +$53.92 |
| Pettis County | Operating Engineer | incl. | $72.33 | +$49.57 |
| Camden County | Operating Engineer | incl. | $67.29 | +$44.53 |
| Henry County | Operating Engineer | incl. | $28.91 | +$6.15 |
| Morgan County | Operating Engineer | incl. | $23.24 | +$0.48 |
| Benton County | Operating Engineer | incl. | $22.76 | |
| Hickory County | Operating Engineer | incl. | $21.72 | −$1.04 |
Missouri operating engineer prevailing wage by county, with a map
Notes on this rate
DLS's notes, in DLS's words.
- * Public works contracting minimum wage: DLS received fewer than 1,000 reportable hours for this occupational title in this county, so the rate is 120% of the county's average hourly wage (MERIC data), not a survey average (RSMo 290.257.2, .4(2)).
More from DLS on this rate
- DLS Annual Wage Order 33, page 2
- DLS's Annual Wage Order look-up
- The order lists journeyworker rates. Registered apprentices and entry-level workers get 50% of the journeyworker rate, no more than one per journeyworker (RSMo 290.235).
Are you being paid this rate?
Missouri's rate includes fringe benefits, so add your wage to what your employer pays into benefit plans for you and compare it with the rate. Contractors post the rates on site; the contractor forfeits $100 per worker per day of underpayment, and you can sue for double the difference (RSMo 290.250, 290.300). DLS Wage and Hour: 573-751-3403.
Source
Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLS), Annual Wage Order 33 MO-AWO33-008, issued March 10, 2026, effective May 29, 2026, page 2: laborwebapps.mo.gov/DLS/PrevailingWage/AWO/33/33_WO008.pdf
We read every county's AWO 33 PDF, including the replacement pages DLS issued by May 29, 2026, and check every rate with a second, separate reader. Each figure is the printed rate. How we check · Download Benton County as CSV · Report an error