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

The median hourly wage is $22.81. The middle half earn between $19.61 and $27.05 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

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

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.88 an hour ($37,190 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $19.61.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Daphne or Birmingham?

Birmingham pays more: the median is $47,450 in Daphne and $54,330 in Birmingham, a 13% difference.

How does Daphne pay compare with the rest of Alabama?

The Daphne median of $47,450 is about the same as the Alabama median of $47,520.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Daphne, AL

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Daphne–Fairhope–Foley, AL area earn a median of $47,450 a year, or $22.81 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $76,050. Statewide, heavy equipment operators earn a median of $47,520; Daphne is right at that level.

Median yearly pay$47,450

Bottom 10% under$37,190Top 10% over$76,050

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $17.88/hr
Jobs in this area: 350
After cost of living: $50,110
Median hourly pay: $22.81/hr
vs U.S. median: −21%
vs Alabama median: 0%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 19300, Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, 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	$37,190–$40,790$17.88–$19.61/hr
Experienced operator	$47,450$22.81/hr
Top earners	$56,260–$76,050$27.05–$36.56/hr

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

How Daphne, AL compares

Daphne ranks 5th of 13 Alabama metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Daphne area than nationally: 4.0 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.3 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $76,050, is 2.0 times the 10th-percentile wage, $37,190: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Alabama metro areas

Other trades in Daphne, AL

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Lineman Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Daphne, AL?: Heavy equipment operators in the Daphne–Fairhope–Foley, AL area earn a median of $47,450 a year, or $22.81 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $76,050.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Daphne, AL?: The median hourly wage is $22.81. The middle half earn between $19.61 and $27.05 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Daphne, AL?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.88 an hour ($37,190 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $19.61.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Daphne or Birmingham?: Birmingham pays more: the median is $47,450 in Daphne and $54,330 in Birmingham, a 13% difference.
How does Daphne pay compare with the rest of Alabama?: The Daphne median of $47,450 is about the same as 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 19300 (Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, 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 (94.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures