--- title: "Operating Engineer Programs in Florida: Pay & Tuition" canonical: https://highpayingtrades.com/trades/operating-engineer/florida/ description: "Operating Engineer pay in Florida: BLS average $52,590 (all experience levels), median $49,400, bottom 10% $38,820. 8 listed programs." updated: 2026-11-03 wage_source: "BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates, released 2026-05-15" --- 1. [Home](https://highpayingtrades.com/) 2. [Trades](https://highpayingtrades.com/trades/) 3. [Operating Engineer](https://highpayingtrades.com/trades/operating-engineer/) 4. Florida Florida # Operating Engineer programs in *Florida* 8 listed heavy equipment operator programs in Florida, plus BLS pay data for the state and 22 metro areas. - **$52,590** Average pay (state, all experience levels) - **$38,820** Entry-level / bottom 10% - **$49,400** Median pay (state) - **$64,020** Top 10% earn over 27,510 jobs in Florida · 8 listed programs. Average = BLS mean across all experience levels, not starting pay. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates, released 2026-05-15. Cities with listed programs - [Chipley 1](https://highpayingtrades.com/trades/operating-engineer/florida/chipley/) - [Coconut Creek 1](https://highpayingtrades.com/trades/operating-engineer/florida/coconut-creek/) - [Fort Pierce 1](https://highpayingtrades.com/trades/operating-engineer/florida/fort-pierce/) - [Jacksonville 1](https://highpayingtrades.com/trades/operating-engineer/florida/jacksonville/) - [Miami 1](https://highpayingtrades.com/trades/operating-engineer/florida/miami/) - [Miami Lakes 1](https://highpayingtrades.com/trades/operating-engineer/florida/miami-lakes/) - [Palm Coast 1](https://highpayingtrades.com/trades/operating-engineer/florida/palm-coast/) - [Plant City 1](https://highpayingtrades.com/trades/operating-engineer/florida/plant-city/) BLS wage data ## Operating Engineer pay in Florida Annual wages from the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates, released 2026-05-15. | Area | 10th pct | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | 90th pct | Mean | Employed | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Florida | $38,820 | $46,330 | $49,400 | $58,360 | $64,020 | $52,590 | 27,510 | | United States | $42,190 | $48,680 | $59,850 | $77,170 | $101,090 | $66,290 | 478,090 | Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates, released 2026-05-15. ### Metro areas | Area | 10th pct | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | 90th pct | Mean | Employed | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $40,200 | $47,700 | $51,800 | $60,160 | $71,200 | $54,900 | 5,850 | | Naples-Marco Island, FL | $40,460 | $48,040 | $51,040 | $59,070 | $65,490 | $53,130 | 680 | | Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $39,280 | $47,030 | $51,020 | $57,130 | $63,800 | $52,630 | 4,330 | | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $40,390 | $47,200 | $50,300 | $58,810 | $73,320 | $54,410 | 3,980 | | Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL | $41,210 | $47,440 | $49,710 | $59,150 | $60,310 | $52,630 | 120 | | North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL | $39,690 | $47,630 | $49,460 | $57,250 | $62,480 | $52,610 | 1,090 | | Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL | $39,520 | $46,870 | $49,330 | $59,090 | $63,300 | $52,990 | 1,160 | | Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | $39,550 | $45,180 | $49,140 | $58,140 | $63,940 | $51,670 | 620 | | Jacksonville, FL | $39,290 | $46,770 | $48,920 | $58,550 | $64,660 | $52,870 | 1,990 | | Punta Gorda, FL | $39,920 | $47,030 | $48,860 | $57,590 | $61,870 | $51,580 | 200 | | Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL | $39,660 | $46,480 | $48,640 | $61,090 | $71,430 | $53,670 | 390 | | Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL | $37,190 | $45,500 | $48,620 | $57,320 | $61,870 | $51,210 | 500 | Metropolitan area estimates, BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates, released 2026-05-15. Only areas BLS published are shown. Programs ## Listed programs in Florida Every heavy equipment operator program we matched in Florida. Schools with published tuition are listed first. | Program / provider | Location | Type | Graduates 2023-24 | Tuition | Source | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Atlantic Technical College](https://www.atlantictechnicalcollege.edu/) Construction/Heavy Equipment/Earthmoving Equipment Operation | Coconut Creek, FL | Certificate (2-4 years) | 0 | $4,766 Tuition & fees, largest program (program-year school) | IPEDS 2023-24 · CIP 49.0202 | | [Flagler Technical College](https://flaglertech.edu/) Construction/Heavy Equipment/Earthmoving Equipment Operation | Palm Coast, FL | Certificate (1-2 years) | 1 | $1,074 Tuition & fees, largest program (program-year school) | IPEDS 2023-24 · CIP 49.0202 | | [Florida Panhandle Technical College](https://fptc.edu/) Construction/Heavy Equipment/Earthmoving Equipment Operation | Chipley, FL | Certificate (1-2 years) | 2 | $4,624 Tuition & fees, largest program (program-year school) | IPEDS 2023-24 · CIP 49.0202 | | [Indian River State College](https://www.irsc.edu/) Construction/Heavy Equipment/Earthmoving Equipment Operation | Fort Pierce, FL | Certificate (1-2 years) | 0 | $2,764–$10,201 Annual tuition & fees, in-state to out-of-state (institution-wide) | IPEDS 2023-24 · CIP 49.0202 | | [Miami Lakes Educational Center and Technical College](https://miamilakes.edu/) Construction/Heavy Equipment/Earthmoving Equipment Operation | Miami Lakes, FL | Certificate (1-2 years) | 1 | $2,655 Tuition & fees, largest program (program-year school) | IPEDS 2023-24 · CIP 49.0202 | | Florida West Coast Operating Engineers JAC | Plant City, FL | Registered apprenticeship sponsor | n/a | Contact program | DOL Office of Apprenticeship | | North Central Florida Operating Engineers JATC | Jacksonville, FL | Registered apprenticeship sponsor | n/a | Contact program | DOL Office of Apprenticeship | | South Florida Operating Engineers JAC | Miami, FL | Registered apprenticeship sponsor | n/a | Contact program | DOL Office of Apprenticeship | Schools: NCES IPEDS Completions 2023-24, matched by 6-digit CIP code; “Graduates 2023-24” is the number of first-major certificates or associate degrees the school awarded in that program from July 2023 to June 2024 (IPEDS). Tuition: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (updated 2026-10-15), matched by IPEDS unit ID; it is the published figure, not a quote. Apprenticeship sponsors: DOL Office of Apprenticeship partner file (retrieved 2026-10-29); apprenticeships are typically paid, so no tuition is listed — contact the program. ### Browse by city - [Chipley 1](https://highpayingtrades.com/trades/operating-engineer/florida/chipley/) - [Coconut Creek 1](https://highpayingtrades.com/trades/operating-engineer/florida/coconut-creek/) - [Fort Pierce 1](https://highpayingtrades.com/trades/operating-engineer/florida/fort-pierce/) - [Jacksonville 1](https://highpayingtrades.com/trades/operating-engineer/florida/jacksonville/) - [Miami 1](https://highpayingtrades.com/trades/operating-engineer/florida/miami/) - [Miami Lakes 1](https://highpayingtrades.com/trades/operating-engineer/florida/miami-lakes/) - [Palm Coast 1](https://highpayingtrades.com/trades/operating-engineer/florida/palm-coast/) - [Plant City 1](https://highpayingtrades.com/trades/operating-engineer/florida/plant-city/) Related resources ## Keep researching [**GI Bill heavy equipment operator schools** Schools approved for VA benefits. · VeteranTradeSchools.com](https://veterantradeschools.com/heavy-equipment-operator/) [**Verified CDL training schools** Many equipment jobs also involve hauling machines; compare CDL programs. · VerifiedCDLSchools.com](https://verifiedcdlschools.com/) [**Registered apprenticeships in Florida** The full DOL sponsor list for the state. · RegisteredTradeSchools.com](https://registeredtradeschools.com/apprenticeships/fl/) ## Sources - **Wages:** U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released 2026-05-15 ([news release USDL-26-0725](https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/ocwage_05152026.htm); [data tables](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm)). Cross-checked against the BLS Public Data API on 2026-11-03. - **Occupation:** O\*NET OnLine, [47-2073.00 Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/47-2073.00), retrieved 2026-11-03 (CC BY 4.0). - **Apprenticeship sponsors:** U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship: partner sponsors file, retrieved 2026-10-29 ([Partner Finder](https://www.apprenticeship.gov/partner-finder)). - **Schools & graduates:** U.S. Department of Education, NCES IPEDS Completions 2023-24 (C2024\_A) and Institutional Characteristics (HD2024), award year 2023-24, matched by 6-digit CIP code ([completions file](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/data/C2024_A.zip); [CIP-SOC crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/Files/CIP2020_SOC2018_Crosswalk.xlsx)). - **Tuition:** U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard (Most Recent Cohorts: Institution + Field of Study), data updated 2026-10-15, matched by IPEDS unit ID ([source](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/)). Program listings are matched from public files by occupation code or organization name; they are not endorsements and we have not visited or tested any program. Confirm schedules, entry requirements and costs with the program. Compiled by the HighPayingTrades team; last refreshed 2026-11-03. --- Canonical HTML: https://highpayingtrades.com/trades/operating-engineer/florida/ Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released 2026-05-15 (https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/ocwage_05152026.htm). Programs: NCES IPEDS 2023-24 completions; DOL Office of Apprenticeship. Tuition: College Scorecard.