# Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators

US SOC code 47-2071. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/47-2071

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **41,820** US paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators, with median pay of **$53,340** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the highest was **63,850**, in May 2007. The earliest figure here is [a Census count](https://usa.ipums.org/usa/volii/96occup.shtml) of **50,000** from 1960, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era in this work: Cold milling machine and hydraulic paver controls, 1979 to 2005. Cold milling created a new sub-specialty within the paving operator occupation and expanded the scope of work available to IUOE-represented crews.

Figures: Official statistic (latest count and pay, highest count); Researched context (earliest figure).

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to change -0.9% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=47-2071&ioType=o) (Official statistic).

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1867
- Latest US employment: 41,820 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [3]
- Latest US median pay: $53,340 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [5]
- Outlook: -0.9% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [17]

### All 26 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1960 | 50,000 | n/a | Decennial Census 1960 [1] |
| 1997 | n/a | $28,000 (average) | BLS historical bulletin 1997 [4] |
| 1999 | 56,000 | n/a | BLS CPS [2] |
| 2003 | 57,980 | $29,240 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [3] |
| 2004 | 61,860 | $29,990 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [3] |
| 2005 | 63,220 | $30,320 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [3] |
| 2006 | 63,090 | $31,300 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [3] |
| 2007 | 63,850 | $32,360 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [3] |
| 2008 | 61,230 | $33,270 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [3] |
| 2009 | 54,850 | $34,030 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [3] |
| 2010 | 51,830 | $34,150 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [3] |
| 2011 | 54,120 | $35,270 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [3] |
| 2012 | 54,460 | $35,840 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [3] |
| 2013 | 55,720 | $37,780 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [3] |
| 2014 | 54,940 | $38,660 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [3] |
| 2015 | 53,110 | $38,270 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [3] |
| 2016 | 51,880 | $38,970 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [3] |
| 2017 | 49,760 | $39,120 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [3] |
| 2018 | 46,760 | $39,780 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [3] |
| 2019 | 45,770 | $40,130 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [3] |
| 2020 | 44,560 | $41,540 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [3] |
| 2021 | 44,200 | $46,960 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [3] |
| 2022 | 41,470 | $47,270 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [3] |
| 2023 | 43,080 | $48,980 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [3] |
| 2024 | 45,680 | $51,650 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [3] |
| 2025 | 41,820 | $53,340 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [3] |

## Sources (72)

### Employment series

1. [IPUMS USA 1960 Occupation Codes documentation (code 425: excavating, grading, and road machinery operators)](https://usa.ipums.org/usa/volii/96occup.shtml), IPUMS / University of Minnesota
2. [BLS Occupational Employment Statistics historical series (pre-2000 OES, construction equipment operators) via BLS OEWS archive](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
3. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

4. [BLS OES 1997 historical series (construction equipment operators, paving subset) -- via BLS news release archive](https://www.bls.gov/news.release/history/ocwage_010499.txt), Bureau of Labor Statistics
5. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Tool eras

6. [Wikipedia -- Steamroller (Aveling and Porter 1867 patent; NY engineer cost comparison)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steamroller), Wikipedia
7. [W.R. Bailey -- Origins of Asphalt (first US asphalt 1870 Newark; Pennsylvania Avenue 1876)](https://www.wrbailey.com/rockbinders/asphalt.html), W.R. Bailey / Rockbinders
8. [Wikipedia -- Barber-Greene (asphalt paver history: 1930 sketch, 1934 production, 879-A model)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barber-Greene), Wikipedia
9. [MadeHow.com -- Asphalt Paver (Barber-Greene invention 1931, crawler tracks, hydraulic drives 1950s)](https://www.madehow.com/Volume-3/Asphalt-Paver.html), MadeHow.com
10. [International Society for Concrete Pavements -- A 100-Year History of Paving, Compaction, Milling Iron (gasoline engines 1914: 25% productivity gain)](https://www.concretepavements.org/2016/03/13/a-100-year-history-of-paving-compaction-milling-iron/), International Society for Concrete Pavements
11. [OEM Off-Highway / HCEA -- Vibratory Drum Compactors (Schwamborn 1957 all-drum vibratory roller; early 1960s padfoot drums)](https://oemoffhighway.com/trends/article/21032518/historical-construction-equipment-association-hcea-vibratory-drum-compactors), OEM Off-Highway / Historical Construction Equipment Association
12. [Federal Highway Administration -- The Greatest Decade 1956-1966 (Interstate System construction scale: 14,300 miles by 1962)](https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/50interstate2.cfm), Federal Highway Administration
13. [For Construction Pros -- The Evolution of the Milling Machine (Swisher Roto-Mill 1974; Wirtgen carbide bits 1979)](https://www.forconstructionpros.com/home/article/12239632/the-evolution-of-the-milling-machine), For Construction Pros
14. [Wirtgen Group -- History of Cold Milling (3800 C rear loader 1979; 2000 VC front loader 1999)](https://www.wirtgen-group.com/en-us/products/wirtgen/technologies/cold-milling/history/), Wirtgen Group
15. [Pavement Interactive -- Making Rollers Smarter: Intelligent Compaction (IC technology history, GPS tracking, FHWA adoption)](https://pavementinteractive.org/making-rollers-smarter-intelligent-compaction/), Pavement Interactive / FHWA
16. [For Construction Pros -- Why Adopt 3D Asphalt Paving (GPS machine control, stringless paving, Topcon/Trimble)](https://www.forconstructionpros.com/construction-technology/machine-grade-control-gps-laser-other/article/22184876/why-adopt-3d-asphalt-paving), For Construction Pros

### Forecasts and exposure studies

17. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 47-2071 Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators (2025: 42.3 thousand; 2035: 41.9 thousand; -0.9%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=47-2071&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Historical notes

18. [W.R. Bailey -- Origins of Asphalt (DeSmedt 1870 Newark; Pennsylvania Avenue 1876)](https://www.wrbailey.com/rockbinders/asphalt.html), W.R. Bailey / Rockbinders
19. [IUOE -- History of IUOE (founding December 7, 1896; AFL charter 1897; name changes 1912, 1928)](https://www.iuoe.org/about-iuoe/history-of-iuoe), International Union of Operating Engineers
20. [Wikipedia -- Barber-Greene (1930 design sketch, 1931 Road Show, 1933 floating screed, U.S. Patent 2,138,828 granted 1938)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barber-Greene), Wikipedia
21. [Federal Highway Administration -- The Greatest Decade 1956-1966 (Interstate System: 41,000 miles, $25 billion, 14,300 miles by 1962)](https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/50interstate2.cfm), Federal Highway Administration
22. [For Construction Pros -- The Evolution of the Milling Machine (Swisher Roto-Mill 1974; oil embargo context; Wirtgen carbide bits 1979)](https://www.forconstructionpros.com/home/article/12239632/the-evolution-of-the-milling-machine), For Construction Pros
23. [BLS -- Construction Employment Peaks Before the Recession (Monthly Labor Review, April 2011)](https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2011/04/art4full.pdf), Bureau of Labor Statistics
24. [Wikipedia -- Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (signed November 15, 2021; $110 billion roads and bridges)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infrastructure_Investment_and_Jobs_Act), Wikipedia

### Predecessors & successors

25. [Wikipedia -- Steamroller (Aveling and Porter 1867; International Union of Steam Engineers founded 1896)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steamroller), Wikipedia
26. [W.R. Bailey -- Origins of Asphalt (hand-spread sheet asphalt, large crews, 1870-1930)](https://www.wrbailey.com/rockbinders/asphalt.html), W.R. Bailey / Rockbinders

### Present-day analysis

- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-21
- [O\*NET 30.3 — US Department of Labor](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), accessed 2026-05-21

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.