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

The median hourly wage is $19.95. The middle half earn between $17.76 and $22.77 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

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

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $16.54 an hour ($34,390 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $17.76.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Valdosta or Chattanooga?

Chattanooga pays more: the median is $41,500 in Valdosta and $50,320 in Chattanooga, a 18% difference.

How does Valdosta pay compare with the rest of Georgia?

The Valdosta median of $41,500 is 13% less than the Georgia median of $47,880.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Valdosta, GA

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Valdosta, GA area earn a median of $41,500 a year, or $19.95 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $56,600. Statewide, heavy equipment operators earn a median of $47,880; Valdosta is 13% below it.

Median yearly pay$41,500

Bottom 10% under$34,390Top 10% over$56,600

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $16.54/hr
Jobs in this area: 190
After cost of living: $47,010
Median hourly pay: $19.95/hr
vs U.S. median: −31%
vs Georgia median: −13%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 46660, Valdosta, 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	$34,390–$36,950$16.54–$17.76/hr
Experienced operator	$41,500$19.95/hr
Top earners	$47,370–$56,600$22.77–$27.21/hr

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

How Valdosta, GA compares

Valdosta ranks 13th of 15 Georgia metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Valdosta area than nationally: 3.5 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.1 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $56,600, is 1.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $34,390: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Georgia metro areas

Other trades in Valdosta, GA

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Lineman Plumber Diesel mechanic Auto mechanic

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Valdosta, GA?: Heavy equipment operators in the Valdosta, GA area earn a median of $41,500 a year, or $19.95 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $56,600.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Valdosta, GA?: The median hourly wage is $19.95. The middle half earn between $17.76 and $22.77 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Valdosta, GA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $16.54 an hour ($34,390 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $17.76.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Valdosta or Chattanooga?: Chattanooga pays more: the median is $41,500 in Valdosta and $50,320 in Chattanooga, a 18% difference.
How does Valdosta pay compare with the rest of Georgia?: The Valdosta median of $41,500 is 13% 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 46660 (Valdosta, 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 (88.3, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures