Heavy equipment operator salary in Myrtle Beach, SC
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Heavy equipment operators in the Myrtle Beach–Conway–North Myrtle Beach, SC area earn a median of $47,000 a year, or $22.59 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $58,460. Statewide, heavy equipment operators earn a median of $48,940; Myrtle Beach is 4% below it.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $18.50/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 980
- After cost of living
- $50,190
- Median hourly pay
- $22.59/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −21%
- vs South Carolina median
- −4%
Entry-level to top heavy equipment operator pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $38,480–$41,450$18.50–$19.93/hr | |
| Experienced operator | $47,000$22.59/hr | |
| Top earners | $49,570–$58,460$23.83–$28.11/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Myrtle Beach, SC compares
- Myrtle Beach has the lowest heavy equipment operator median of the 10 South Carolina metro areas with published pay.
- Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Myrtle Beach area than nationally: 6.7 of every 1,000 jobs, 2.2 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $58,460, is 1.5 times the 10th-percentile wage, $38,480: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other South Carolina metro areas
Other trades in Myrtle Beach, SC
Questions
- How much do heavy equipment operators make in Myrtle Beach, SC?
- Heavy equipment operators in the Myrtle Beach–Conway–North Myrtle Beach, SC area earn a median of $47,000 a year, or $22.59 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $58,460.
- How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Myrtle Beach, SC?
- The median hourly wage is $22.59. The middle half earn between $19.93 and $23.83 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Myrtle Beach, SC?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.50 an hour ($38,480 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $19.93.
- Do heavy equipment operators make more in Myrtle Beach or Charlotte?
- Charlotte pays more: the median is $47,000 in Myrtle Beach and $50,870 in Charlotte, a 8% difference.
- How does Myrtle Beach pay compare with the rest of South Carolina?
- The Myrtle Beach median of $47,000 is 4% less than the South Carolina median of $48,940.
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 34820 (Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC). 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 (93.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures