Heavy equipment operator salary in Miami, FL
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Heavy equipment operators in the Miami–Fort Lauderdale–West Palm Beach, FL area earn a median of $51,800 a year, or $24.91 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $71,200. That's 5% more than the Florida median of $49,400.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $19.33/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 5,850
- After cost of living
- $45,380
- Median hourly pay
- $24.91/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −13%
- vs Florida median
- +5%
Entry-level to top heavy equipment operator pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $40,200–$47,700$19.33–$22.93/hr | |
| Experienced operator | $51,800$24.91/hr | |
| Top earners | $60,160–$71,200$28.92–$34.23/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Miami, FL compares
- Miami has the highest heavy equipment operator median of the 22 Florida metro areas with published pay.
- Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in the Miami area than nationally: 2.1 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.68 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $71,200, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $40,200: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Florida metro areas
Other trades in Miami, FL
Questions
- How much do heavy equipment operators make in Miami, FL?
- Heavy equipment operators in the Miami–Fort Lauderdale–West Palm Beach, FL area earn a median of $51,800 a year, or $24.91 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $71,200.
- How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Miami, FL?
- The median hourly wage is $24.91. The middle half earn between $22.93 and $28.92 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Miami, FL?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.33 an hour ($40,200 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.93.
- Do heavy equipment operators make more in Miami or Orlando?
- Miami pays more: the median is $51,800 in Miami and $51,020 in Orlando, a 2% difference.
- How does Miami pay compare with the rest of Florida?
- The Miami median of $51,800 is 5% more than 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 33100 (Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, 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 (114.2, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures