Heavy equipment operator salary in Palm Bay, FL
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Heavy equipment operators in the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville, FL area earn a median of $49,140 a year, or $23.62 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $63,940. Across all of Florida, the median is $49,400, so Palm Bay pays 1% less than the state as a whole.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $19.02/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 620
- After cost of living
- $49,140
- Median hourly pay
- $23.62/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −18%
- vs Florida median
- −1%
Entry-level to top heavy equipment operator pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $39,550–$45,180$19.02–$21.72/hr | |
| Experienced operator | $49,140$23.62/hr | |
| Top earners | $58,140–$63,940$27.95–$30.74/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Palm Bay, FL compares
- Palm Bay ranks 8th of 22 Florida metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
- Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in the Palm Bay area than nationally: 2.5 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.82 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $63,940, is 1.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $39,550: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Florida metro areas
Other trades in Palm Bay, FL
Questions
- How much do heavy equipment operators make in Palm Bay, FL?
- Heavy equipment operators in the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville, FL area earn a median of $49,140 a year, or $23.62 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $63,940.
- How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Palm Bay, FL?
- The median hourly wage is $23.62. The middle half earn between $21.72 and $27.95 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Palm Bay, FL?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.02 an hour ($39,550 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.72.
- Do heavy equipment operators make more in Palm Bay or Miami?
- Miami pays more: the median is $49,140 in Palm Bay and $51,800 in Miami, a 5% difference.
- How does Palm Bay pay compare with the rest of Florida?
- The Palm Bay median of $49,140 is 1% less 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 37340 (Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, 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 (100.0, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures