Screed Operator
We place this role between $58,000 and $82,000 a year at mid experience, before overtime, bonus and on-call.
What this role pays.
That band is mid experience, built from our own engagement history. Experience and region move it - the salary calculator applies both.
The federal occupation this role reports under is Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2071), May 2025. Nationally it reports a median of $53,340 , with the middle of the market between $38,230 and $92,230. BLS counts this job inside that occupation rather than publishing it separately, so the figures cover a slightly wider group than this exact title.
Where it pays most.
Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators across the metros we cover, May 2025. BLS publishes a median for 89 of them and withholds the rest, where the local sample was too small to be reliable.
| Metro | Median | Employed there |
|---|---|---|
| Riverside | $126,640 | 310 |
| urban honolulu hi | $111,360 | - |
| San Francisco | $104,530 | 260 |
| Seattle | $96,590 | 270 |
| Madison | $93,610 | 80 |
| Milwaukee | $83,370 | 140 |
| Chicago | $80,340 | 740 |
| Hartford | $77,480 | 70 |
| Chattanooga | $38,510 | 90 |
| Memphis | $39,120 | 200 |
| Charleston | $39,130 | 110 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. The last three rows are the lowest-paying metros in the same set. Headcount is metro-wide across every industry, not this trade alone.
Screed Operator vs Asphalt / Paving Operator.
This is the seat that decides how the surface looks when the crew leaves. The screed operator controls mat thickness, crown, slope and the longitudinal joint, working to grade references, while the paver operator ahead handles line, speed and feed. It is the harder of the two to hire for, and there is nothing to screen on: the skill is judgement built over seasons rather than a certificate, which is why our band for this seat sits slightly above the operator band even though BLS counts both as paving and surfacing equipment operators.
Asphalt / Paving Operator: what it pays and what the search takes
Credentials that move an offer.
No single credential reliably moves an offer in this seat. Employers screen on demonstrated commercial experience instead, which makes the resume harder to read and the reference check worth more.
Licensing is a state question, not a national one. The Paving & Asphalt hiring page carries the state-by-state position, and every market page names the authority for that state.
What the search actually takes.
We have closed 4 paving & asphalt searches in 2026 year to date, which is below the 8 we require before publishing a median. We would rather print the count than a number the sample cannot carry. The Hiring Index shows what we do and do not have.
Keep reading.
- 2026 Paving & Asphalt Salary Guide - the full benchmark by role.
- Paving & Asphalt recruiting - how we run this trade.
- Salary calculator - the band by experience and region.
- Paving & Asphalt hiring in Houston - one market in detail.
- Hiring Index - how long our searches actually take.
Other Paving & Asphalt roles we recruit
All 56 roles we recruit - every trade, every seat.