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

The median hourly wage is $17.74. The middle half earn between $13.64 and $21.87 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

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

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $13.64 an hour ($28,370 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $13.64.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Gadsden or Birmingham?

Birmingham pays more: the median is $36,910 in Gadsden and $54,330 in Birmingham, a 32% difference.

How does Gadsden pay compare with the rest of Alabama?

The Gadsden median of $36,910 is 22% less than the Alabama median of $47,520.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Gadsden, AL

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Gadsden, AL area earn a median of $36,910 a year, or $17.74 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $55,110. Across all of Alabama, the median is $47,520, so Gadsden pays 22% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$36,910

Bottom 10% under$28,370Top 10% over$55,110

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $13.64/hr
Jobs in this area: 100
After cost of living: $43,090
Median hourly pay: $17.74/hr
vs U.S. median: −38%
vs Alabama median: −22%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 23460, Gadsden, 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	$28,370–$28,370$13.64–$13.64/hr
Experienced operator	$36,910$17.74/hr
Top earners	$45,490–$55,110$21.87–$26.50/hr

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

How Gadsden, AL compares

Gadsden has the lowest heavy equipment operator median of the 13 Alabama metro areas with published pay.
Heavy equipment operators hold about the same share of jobs in the Gadsden area as nationally: 3.1 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $55,110, is 1.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $28,370: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Alabama metro areas

Other trades in Gadsden, AL

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Plumber Diesel mechanic Auto mechanic

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Gadsden, AL?: Heavy equipment operators in the Gadsden, AL area earn a median of $36,910 a year, or $17.74 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $55,110.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Gadsden, AL?: The median hourly wage is $17.74. The middle half earn between $13.64 and $21.87 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Gadsden, AL?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $13.64 an hour ($28,370 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $13.64.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Gadsden or Birmingham?: Birmingham pays more: the median is $36,910 in Gadsden and $54,330 in Birmingham, a 32% difference.
How does Gadsden pay compare with the rest of Alabama?: The Gadsden median of $36,910 is 22% 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 23460 (Gadsden, 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 (85.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures