How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Auburn, AL?

The median hourly wage is $22.60. The middle half earn between $18.46 and $24.74 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Auburn, AL?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.37 an hour ($36,130 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $18.46.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Auburn or Birmingham?

Birmingham pays more: the median is $47,000 in Auburn and $54,330 in Birmingham, a 13% difference.

How does Auburn pay compare with the rest of Alabama?

The Auburn median of $47,000 is 1% less than the Alabama median of $47,520.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Auburn, AL

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Auburn–Opelika, AL area earn a median of $47,000 a year, or $22.60 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $61,240 a year. Statewide, heavy equipment operators earn a median of $47,520; Auburn is 1% below it.

Median yearly pay$47,000

Bottom 10% under$36,130Top 10% over$61,240

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $17.37/hr
Jobs in this area: 360
After cost of living: $53,450
Median hourly pay: $22.60/hr
vs U.S. median: −21%
vs Alabama median: −1%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 12220, Auburn-Opelika, AL). Excludes self-employed heavy equipment operators. Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024. *Starting pay is estimated from the 10th percentile; BLS does not report pay by license level.

Entry-level to top heavy equipment operator pay

Stage	Yearly pay	Hourly pay
Apprentice / entry level	$36,130–$38,400$17.37–$18.46/hr
Experienced operator	$47,000$22.60/hr
Top earners	$51,460–$61,240$24.74–$29.44/hr

Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.

How Auburn, AL compares

Auburn ranks 8th of 13 Alabama metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Auburn area than nationally: 4.9 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.6 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $61,240, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $36,130: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Alabama metro areas

Other trades in Auburn, AL

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Lineman Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Auburn, AL?: Heavy equipment operators in the Auburn–Opelika, AL area earn a median of $47,000 a year, or $22.60 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $61,240 a year.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Auburn, AL?: The median hourly wage is $22.60. The middle half earn between $18.46 and $24.74 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Auburn, AL?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.37 an hour ($36,130 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $18.46.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Auburn or Birmingham?: Birmingham pays more: the median is $47,000 in Auburn and $54,330 in Birmingham, a 13% difference.
How does Auburn pay compare with the rest of Alabama?: The Auburn median of $47,000 is 1% less than the Alabama median of $47,520.

About this data

Wages are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, occupation 47-2073 (Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators), area code 12220 (Auburn-Opelika, AL). BLS counts wage and salary workers only, so self-employed heavy equipment operators and business owners aren't included. The cost-of-living figure divides the median by the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity for 2024 (87.9, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures