Heavy Equipment Operator Salary: Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
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The median annual wage for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073) in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL was $51,800 in May 2025 (BLS). The middle half of workers in this occupation and area earned between $47,700 and $60,160. This is the broader occupation used for Heavy Equipment Operator, not a separately surveyed rate for that title or credential.
Broader occupation Our title "Heavy Equipment Operator" is reported by BLS as SOC 47-2073 Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators. BLS groups Heavy Equipment Operator within Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators; it does not publish this niche title or credential level separately.
For Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073), the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL annual median is $8,050 below the national median of $59,850 (-13.5%).
Annual wages: Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073)
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073), Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL, annual wages: 10% earned less than $40,200, half earned less than the median of $51,800, 90% earned less than $71,200 (BLS, May 2025).
| Measure | Annual wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $40,200 | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $47,700 | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $51,800 | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $60,160 | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $71,200 | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $54,900 | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
Hourly wages: Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073)
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073), Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL, hourly wages: 10% earned less than $19.33, half earned less than the median of $24.91, 90% earned less than $34.23 (BLS, May 2025).
| Measure | Hourly wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $19.33 per hour | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $22.93 per hour | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $24.91 per hour | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $28.92 per hour | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $34.23 per hour | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $26.39 per hour | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
National comparison
| Measure | Annual wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $42,190 | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $48,680 | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $59,850 | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $77,170 | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $101,090 | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $66,290 | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 47-2073 Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL.
What BLS wages measure. OEWS estimates describe straight-time gross wages, not just base salary and not total compensation. They include commissions and production bonuses. They exclude overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits. Discuss travel, per diem, tool and truck allowances separately. Percentiles describe the occupation's wage distribution, not seniority, plant size, job complexity or credentials. Licensing, union agreements and prevailing-wage obligations depend on the work and assignment; these figures do not establish a premium for them.
Official BLS wage definitions | Source dates and methodology
BLS definitions, verbatim
wages
Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
hours
Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly wages by 2,080 hours; for occupations where hourly wages are not published, annual wages were taken directly from the reported survey data.
Which related roles have a different BLS occupation?
A supervisory occupation is not an experience percentile for the craft. Compare the actual responsibilities and the published SOC.
Shop Foreman (49-1011)What do these published wages mean for an offer?
Skilled Trades Headhunters reads the May 2025 figures for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073) in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (reference for Heavy Equipment Operator) as an offer reference, not a quote for a particular candidate. For Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073) in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (reference for Heavy Equipment Operator), the published median for SOC 47-2073, Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators, is $51,800 per year. The middle half of the Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073) in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (reference for Heavy Equipment Operator) wage distribution runs from $47,700 to $60,160, a width of $12,460 per year; that spread shows how much published pay varies within the occupation and area, without assigning experience levels.
Against the United States estimate, the Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073) in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (reference for Heavy Equipment Operator) median is $8,050 below the national median of $59,850. For Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073), Naples-Marco Island, FL reports $51,040 per year, $760 below Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL; For Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073), Port St. Lucie, FL reports $48,600 per year, $3,200 below Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL. The neighbors used for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073) in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (reference for Heavy Equipment Operator) are the nearest metro representative points with a released median, using Census geography, not a commuting or cost-of-living adjustment.
The highest published medians among the selected national industry rows for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators, read alongside Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073) in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (reference for Heavy Equipment Operator), are Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution at $95,500 per year (NAICS 221100); Natural Gas Distribution at $94,860 per year (NAICS 221200); Building Finishing Contractors at $94,270 per year (NAICS 238300). Those Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073) in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (reference for Heavy Equipment Operator) industry comparisons are national cross-sections, not local industry estimates; BLS does not give us a metro-by-industry wage cut here, and overlapping industry groups should not be added together.
The Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073) in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (reference for Heavy Equipment Operator) median was $59,080 per year in May 2024, compared with $51,800 in May 2025, a published difference of -$7,280. That Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073) in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (reference for Heavy Equipment Operator) comparison is between separate BLS releases, not the raise paid to the same workers or a projection of next year's offer. Read the $59,080 and $51,800 Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073) in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (reference for Heavy Equipment Operator) estimates with both dates visible, because the employers and workers represented by the survey can change.
Before using $51,800 per year from Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073) in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (reference for Heavy Equipment Operator) to calibrate an offer, separate overtime, per diem, lodging and mobilization separately; prevailing wage obligations and union scale depend on the assignment and agreement, not a special BLS traveling-worker percentile. The Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073) in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (reference for Heavy Equipment Operator) BLS comparison measures straight-time gross wages, including commissions and production bonuses, but excludes overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits. A candidate's take-home pay and the employer's total cost for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073) in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (reference for Heavy Equipment Operator) can therefore differ from the median without either number being an error.
The mapping for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073) in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (reference for Heavy Equipment Operator) is broader: BLS groups Heavy Equipment Operator within Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators; it does not publish this niche title or credential level separately. When calibrating a Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073) in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (reference for Heavy Equipment Operator) opening, the work checks include Machines run; GPS grade control (digital layout systems/digital layout systems); ask for evidence of that scope instead of using a percentile as a substitute for qualification. A broader occupation can combine jobs that a Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073) in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (reference for Heavy Equipment Operator) buyer would screen separately, which is why the badge and SOC remain beside the figures.
Questions about this occupation and area
What does the middle-half band tell a Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073) in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (reference for Heavy Equipment Operator) buyer?
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073) in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (reference for Heavy Equipment Operator) has a published middle-half band of $47,700 to $60,160, a width of $12,460 per year, with median $51,800. An offer inside that Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073) in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (reference for Heavy Equipment Operator) band is not automatically competitive for every scope; match the required work and the separate pay terms first.
Which areas should I compare before hiring Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073) in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (reference for Heavy Equipment Operator)?
Naples-Marco Island, FL and Port St. Lucie, FL are the nearest published metro reference points used for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073) in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (reference for Heavy Equipment Operator). Comparing those Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators tables with the $51,800 Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073) in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (reference for Heavy Equipment Operator) median does not measure commuting costs or predict what a particular applicant will accept.
Are the industry figures local to Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073) in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (reference for Heavy Equipment Operator)?
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073) in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (reference for Heavy Equipment Operator) uses national industry rows for SOC 47-2073, not local sector-specific wages. Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution leads the selected sortable rows at $95,500 per year, but that national industry figure is not a quoted offer for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073) in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (reference for Heavy Equipment Operator).
What changed between the releases for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073) in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (reference for Heavy Equipment Operator)?
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073) in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (reference for Heavy Equipment Operator) moved from $59,080 in May 2024 to $51,800 in May 2025. These Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (SOC 47-2073) in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (reference for Heavy Equipment Operator) published medians do not describe an individual raise or establish a future wage trend.
What changed since May 2024
SOC 47-2073. Published annual median: $59,080 (May 2024) and $51,800 (May 2025). These are two BLS releases, not a projection.