# Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators

> 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.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/paving-surfacing-and-tamping-equipment-operators
- SOC code: 47-2071.00
- Career family: Construction and extraction
- Median annual pay: $53,340 (10th percentile $38,230, 90th percentile $92,230)
- Projected growth: Little or no change, -0.9%
- Openings a year: 3,100
- Typical entry education: High school diploma
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code RCI)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 100 |
| Investigative (I) | 12 |
| Artistic (A) | 0 |
| Social (S) | 0 |
| Enterprising (E) | 0 |
| Conventional (C) | 45 |

## What you'd do

- Controlling Machines and Processes (importance 85/100)
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (importance 84/100)
- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment (importance 74/100)
- Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People (importance 73/100)
- Performing General Physical Activities (importance 73/100)
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings (importance 66/100)
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge (importance 66/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 66/100)
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards (importance 66/100)
- Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment (importance 65/100)

## Skills

Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Monitoring, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Repairing, Troubleshooting, Active Listening, Equipment Maintenance, Judgment and Decision Making

## Knowledge

Building and Construction, Mechanical, Mathematics, Physics, Public Safety and Security, Customer and Personal Service, Chemistry, Administration and Management, Design, Law and Government

## Also called

Asphalt Distributor Operator, Asphalt Distributor Tender, Asphalt Equipment Crew Member, Asphalt Equipment Operator, Asphalt Paver, Asphalt Paver Operator, Asphalt Paving Machine Operator, Asphalt Paving Operator, Asphalt Plant Operator, Asphalt Raker

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Ground Transportation](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4902) (CIP 4902, 213 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Pennsylvania College of Technology](https://www.collegesref.com/college/pennsylvania-college-of-technology-2096) | Ground Transportation | $54,938 | $62,389 | $12,000 |

## Related careers

- [Construction Laborers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/construction-laborers): $47,120 median pay
- [Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/operating-engineers-and-other-construction-equipment-operators): $59,850 median pay
- [Segmental Pavers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/segmental-pavers): $49,910 median pay
- [Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/cement-masons-and-concrete-finishers): $57,020 median pay
- [Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/excavating-and-loading-machine-and-dragline-operators-surface-mining): $57,430 median pay
- [Pile Driver Operators](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/pile-driver-operators): $73,300 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.