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

The median hourly wage is $22.52. The middle half earn between $18.39 and $27.68 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

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

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.48 an hour ($36,360 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $18.39.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Florence or Birmingham?

Birmingham pays more: the median is $46,850 in Florence and $54,330 in Birmingham, a 14% difference.

How does Florence pay compare with the rest of Alabama?

The Florence median of $46,850 is 1% less than the Alabama median of $47,520.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Florence, AL

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Florence–Muscle Shoals, AL area earn a median of $46,850 a year, or $22.52 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $64,500. That's 1% less than the Alabama median of $47,520.

Median yearly pay$46,850

Bottom 10% under$36,360Top 10% over$64,500

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $17.48/hr
Jobs in this area: 260
After cost of living: $55,240
Median hourly pay: $22.52/hr
vs U.S. median: −22%
vs Alabama median: −1%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 22520, Florence-Muscle Shoals, 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	$36,360–$38,260$17.48–$18.39/hr
Experienced operator	$46,850$22.52/hr
Top earners	$57,560–$64,500$27.68–$31.01/hr

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

How Florence, AL compares

Florence ranks 9th of 13 Alabama metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Florence area than nationally: 4.6 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.5 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $64,500, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $36,360: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Alabama metro areas

Other trades in Florence, AL

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

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Florence, AL?: Heavy equipment operators in the Florence–Muscle Shoals, AL area earn a median of $46,850 a year, or $22.52 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $64,500.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Florence, AL?: The median hourly wage is $22.52. The middle half earn between $18.39 and $27.68 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Florence, AL?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.48 an hour ($36,360 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $18.39.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Florence or Birmingham?: Birmingham pays more: the median is $46,850 in Florence and $54,330 in Birmingham, a 14% difference.
How does Florence pay compare with the rest of Alabama?: The Florence median of $46,850 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 22520 (Florence-Muscle Shoals, 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 (84.8, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures