How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Hinesville, GA?

The median hourly wage is $22.84. The middle half earn between $20.74 and $30.83 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Hinesville, GA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.64 an hour ($36,680 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $20.74.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Hinesville or Chattanooga?

Chattanooga pays more: the median is $47,510 in Hinesville and $50,320 in Chattanooga, a 6% difference.

How does Hinesville pay compare with the rest of Georgia?

The Hinesville median of $47,510 is 1% less than the Georgia median of $47,880.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Hinesville, GA

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Hinesville, GA area earn a median of $47,510 a year, or $22.84 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $74,300. Statewide, heavy equipment operators earn a median of $47,880; Hinesville is 1% below it.

Median yearly pay$47,510

Bottom 10% under$36,680Top 10% over$74,300

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $17.64/hr
Jobs in this area: 60
After cost of living: $50,580
Median hourly pay: $22.84/hr
vs U.S. median: −21%
vs Georgia median: −1%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 25980, Hinesville, GA). 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	$36,680–$43,130$17.64–$20.74/hr
Experienced operator	$47,510$22.84/hr
Top earners	$64,130–$74,300$30.83–$35.72/hr

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

How Hinesville, GA compares

Hinesville ranks 7th of 15 Georgia metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators hold about the same share of jobs in the Hinesville area as nationally: 2.9 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $74,300, is 2.0 times the 10th-percentile wage, $36,680: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Georgia metro areas

Other trades in Hinesville, GA

HVAC technician Plumber Auto mechanic

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Hinesville, GA?: Heavy equipment operators in the Hinesville, GA area earn a median of $47,510 a year, or $22.84 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $74,300.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Hinesville, GA?: The median hourly wage is $22.84. The middle half earn between $20.74 and $30.83 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Hinesville, GA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.64 an hour ($36,680 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $20.74.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Hinesville or Chattanooga?: Chattanooga pays more: the median is $47,510 in Hinesville and $50,320 in Chattanooga, a 6% difference.
How does Hinesville pay compare with the rest of Georgia?: The Hinesville median of $47,510 is 1% less than the Georgia median of $47,880.

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 25980 (Hinesville, GA). 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 (93.9, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures