Heavy equipment operator salary in Birmingham, AL
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Heavy equipment operators in the Birmingham, AL area earn a median of $54,330 a year, or $26.12 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $74,320. That's 14% more than the Alabama median of $47,520.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $19.12/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 2,070
- After cost of living
- $59,280
- Median hourly pay
- $26.12/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −9%
- vs Alabama median
- +14%
Entry-level to top heavy equipment operator pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $39,760–$47,260$19.12–$22.72/hr | |
| Experienced operator | $54,330$26.12/hr | |
| Top earners | $60,870–$74,320$29.27–$35.73/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Birmingham, AL compares
- Birmingham has the highest heavy equipment operator median of the 13 Alabama metro areas with published pay.
- Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Birmingham area than nationally: 4.0 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.3 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $74,320, is 1.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $39,760: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Alabama metro areas
Other trades in Birmingham, AL
Questions
- How much do heavy equipment operators make in Birmingham, AL?
- Heavy equipment operators in the Birmingham, AL area earn a median of $54,330 a year, or $26.12 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $74,320.
- How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Birmingham, AL?
- The median hourly wage is $26.12. The middle half earn between $22.72 and $29.27 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Birmingham, AL?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.12 an hour ($39,760 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.72.
- Do heavy equipment operators make more in Birmingham or Huntsville?
- Birmingham pays more: the median is $54,330 in Birmingham and $49,110 in Huntsville, a 11% difference.
- How does Birmingham pay compare with the rest of Alabama?
- The Birmingham median of $54,330 is 14% more 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 13820 (Birmingham, 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 (91.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures