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

The median hourly wage is $22.79. The middle half earn between $21.20 and $27.09 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

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

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.46 an hour ($38,400 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.20.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Mobile or Birmingham?

Birmingham pays more: the median is $47,400 in Mobile and $54,330 in Birmingham, a 13% difference.

How does Mobile pay compare with the rest of Alabama?

The Mobile median of $47,400 is about the same as the Alabama median of $47,520.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Mobile, AL

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Mobile, AL area earn a median of $47,400 a year, or $22.79 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $62,980 a year. Across all of Alabama, the median is $47,520, so Mobile pays about the same as the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$47,400

Bottom 10% under$38,400Top 10% over$62,980

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.46/hr
Jobs in this area: 990
After cost of living: $53,800
Median hourly pay: $22.79/hr
vs U.S. median: −21%
vs Alabama median: 0%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 33660, Mobile, 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	$38,400–$44,090$18.46–$21.20/hr
Experienced operator	$47,400$22.79/hr
Top earners	$56,360–$62,980$27.09–$30.28/hr

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

How Mobile, AL compares

Mobile ranks 6th of 13 Alabama metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Mobile area than nationally: 5.8 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.9 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $62,980, is 1.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $38,400: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Alabama metro areas

Other trades in Mobile, AL

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

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Mobile, AL?: Heavy equipment operators in the Mobile, AL area earn a median of $47,400 a year, or $22.79 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $62,980 a year.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Mobile, AL?: The median hourly wage is $22.79. The middle half earn between $21.20 and $27.09 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Mobile, AL?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.46 an hour ($38,400 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.20.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Mobile or Birmingham?: Birmingham pays more: the median is $47,400 in Mobile and $54,330 in Birmingham, a 13% difference.
How does Mobile pay compare with the rest of Alabama?: The Mobile median of $47,400 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 33660 (Mobile, 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 (88.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures