How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Wildwood, FL?

The median hourly wage is $22.14. The middle half earn between $19.47 and $24.51 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Wildwood, FL?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $16.01 an hour ($33,300 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $19.47.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Wildwood or Miami?

Miami pays more: the median is $46,060 in Wildwood and $51,800 in Miami, a 11% difference.

How does Wildwood pay compare with the rest of Florida?

The Wildwood median of $46,060 is 7% less than the Florida median of $49,400.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Wildwood, FL

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Wildwood–The Villages, FL area earn a median of $46,060 a year, or $22.14 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $59,430. Statewide, heavy equipment operators earn a median of $49,400; Wildwood is 7% below it.

Median yearly pay$46,060

Bottom 10% under$33,300Top 10% over$59,430

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $16.01/hr
Jobs in this area: 410
After cost of living: $53,920
Median hourly pay: $22.14/hr
vs U.S. median: −23%
vs Florida median: −7%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 48680, Wildwood-The Villages, FL). 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	$33,300–$40,490$16.01–$19.47/hr
Experienced operator	$46,060$22.14/hr
Top earners	$50,990–$59,430$24.51–$28.57/hr

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

How Wildwood, FL compares

Wildwood ranks 21st of 22 Florida metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Wildwood area than nationally: 9.8 of every 1,000 jobs, 3.2 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $59,430, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $33,300: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Florida metro areas

Other trades in Wildwood, FL

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Lineman Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Wildwood, FL?: Heavy equipment operators in the Wildwood–The Villages, FL area earn a median of $46,060 a year, or $22.14 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $59,430.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Wildwood, FL?: The median hourly wage is $22.14. The middle half earn between $19.47 and $24.51 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Wildwood, FL?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $16.01 an hour ($33,300 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $19.47.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Wildwood or Miami?: Miami pays more: the median is $46,060 in Wildwood and $51,800 in Miami, a 11% difference.
How does Wildwood pay compare with the rest of Florida?: The Wildwood median of $46,060 is 7% 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 48680 (Wildwood-The Villages, 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 (85.4, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures