Salary comparison
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators: Rockford vs Waterloo
Waterloo, IA pays about 0.5% more for operating engineers and other construction equipment operators on paper — $97,770 vs $97,250. But once you factor in what it costs to live there, Waterloo comes out ahead by $520 a year in real buying power.
Rockford, IL
$97,250
$69,720
$101,850
$46.75
100
$97,250/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
Waterloo, IA
$97,770
$61,740
$97,770
$47.01
100
$97,770/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
What the numbers mean in practice
The headline gap is $520 a year (0.5%) in favor of Waterloo. That is the raw salary difference before any living costs.
Rockford runs a cost index of 100 against the national baseline of 100; Waterloo sits at 100. After adjusting the median for those costs, Waterloo is the better deal by $520 a year — that is what each paycheck actually buys locally.
If you are weighing a move from Rockford to Waterloo for this role, the raise needs to beat 0.5% to come out ahead after living costs. Anything below that and you are earning more on paper but keeping less.
Common questions
Where do operating engineers and other construction equipment operators earn more, Rockford or Waterloo?
Waterloo pays $97,770 on median — about 0.5% more than Rockford ($97,250). Based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Which city is the better deal after living costs?
Waterloo. Once you divide each median by the local cost index, Waterloo gives you roughly$97,770 of real buying power versus $97,250 in the other city.