Heavy equipment operator salary in Cape Coral, FL
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Heavy equipment operators in the Cape Coral–Fort Myers, FL area earn a median of $49,330 a year, or $23.72 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $63,300. Across all of Florida, the median is $49,400, so Cape Coral pays about the same as the state as a whole.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $19.00/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 1,160
- After cost of living
- $48,200
- Median hourly pay
- $23.72/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −18%
- vs Florida median
- 0%
Entry-level to top heavy equipment operator pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $39,520–$46,870$19.00–$22.54/hr | |
| Experienced operator | $49,330$23.72/hr | |
| Top earners | $59,090–$63,300$28.41–$30.43/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Cape Coral, FL compares
- Cape Coral ranks 7th of 22 Florida metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
- Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Cape Coral area than nationally: 3.8 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.2 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $63,300, is 1.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $39,520: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Florida metro areas
Other trades in Cape Coral, FL
Questions
- How much do heavy equipment operators make in Cape Coral, FL?
- Heavy equipment operators in the Cape Coral–Fort Myers, FL area earn a median of $49,330 a year, or $23.72 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $63,300.
- How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Cape Coral, FL?
- The median hourly wage is $23.72. The middle half earn between $22.54 and $28.41 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Cape Coral, FL?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.00 an hour ($39,520 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.54.
- Do heavy equipment operators make more in Cape Coral or Miami?
- Miami pays more: the median is $49,330 in Cape Coral and $51,800 in Miami, a 5% difference.
- How does Cape Coral pay compare with the rest of Florida?
- The Cape Coral median of $49,330 is about the same as the Florida median of $49,400.
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 15980 (Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL). 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 (102.3, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures