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

The median hourly wage is $22.66. The middle half earn between $18.22 and $26.45 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

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

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $14.32 an hour ($29,790 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $18.22.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Dothan or Birmingham?

Birmingham pays more: the median is $47,120 in Dothan and $54,330 in Birmingham, a 13% difference.

How does Dothan pay compare with the rest of Alabama?

The Dothan median of $47,120 is 1% less than the Alabama median of $47,520.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Dothan, AL

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Dothan, AL area earn a median of $47,120 a year, or $22.66 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $74,880. Across all of Alabama, the median is $47,520, so Dothan pays 1% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$47,120

Bottom 10% under$29,790Top 10% over$74,880

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $14.32/hr
Jobs in this area: 200
After cost of living: $56,210
Median hourly pay: $22.66/hr
vs U.S. median: −21%
vs Alabama median: −1%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 20020, Dothan, 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	$29,790–$37,890$14.32–$18.22/hr
Experienced operator	$47,120$22.66/hr
Top earners	$55,020–$74,880$26.45–$36.00/hr

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

How Dothan, AL compares

Dothan ranks 7th of 13 Alabama metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators hold about the same share of jobs in the Dothan area as nationally: 3.3 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $74,880, is 2.5 times the 10th-percentile wage, $29,790: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Alabama metro areas

Other trades in Dothan, AL

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Lineman Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic Millwright

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Dothan, AL?: Heavy equipment operators in the Dothan, AL area earn a median of $47,120 a year, or $22.66 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $74,880.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Dothan, AL?: The median hourly wage is $22.66. The middle half earn between $18.22 and $26.45 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Dothan, AL?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $14.32 an hour ($29,790 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $18.22.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Dothan or Birmingham?: Birmingham pays more: the median is $47,120 in Dothan and $54,330 in Birmingham, a 13% difference.
How does Dothan pay compare with the rest of Alabama?: The Dothan median of $47,120 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 20020 (Dothan, 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 (83.8, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures