 
Construction equipment operators held about 416,000 jobs in 2002. Jobs were found in every section of the country and were distributed among various types of operators as follows:
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators |
353,000 |
| Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators |
58,000 |
| Pile-driver operators |
5,200 |
About three out of five construction equipment operators worked in the construction industry. Many equipment operators worked in heavy construction, building highways, bridges, or railroads. About one out of five of all construction equipment operators worked in State and local government. Others mostly grader, bulldozer, and scraper operators worked in mining. Some also worked in manufacturing and for utility companies. Less than one in twenty construction equipment operators were self-employed.
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