Crane and Tower Operators Salary: $82,918 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 42,000 crane and tower operators nationally earn a mean of $82,918. Employment in the series shown fell about 26% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 2.7% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Crane and Tower Operators: what the data shows
Common questions about crane and tower operators careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a crane and tower operators?
Crane and Tower Operators is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 53-7021.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 42,000 workers.
What does a crane and tower operators do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Controlling Machines and Processes, Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Handling and Moving Objects, Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a crane and tower operators make?
BLS national median annual wage: $66,370 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $82,918 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $44,895 |
| 25th percentile | $60,547 |
| Median (50th) | $71,671 |
| 75th percentile | $102,626 |
| 90th percentile | $138,292 |
What education do you need?
For Crane and Tower Operators, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Active Listening, Time Management, and knowledge areas including Mechanical, Mathematics, Transportation, English Language. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is crane and tower operators in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.7% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -13.0%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -24.3%.
Current U.S. headcount: 42,000.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do crane and tower operatorss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 42,000 | 19.8% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 40,880 | 19.3% |
| Construction | 17,600 | 8.3% |
| Specialty Trade Contractors | 12,560 | 5.9% |
| Other Specialty Trade Contractors | 10,220 | 4.8% |
| Manufacturing | 9,140 | 4.3% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Crane and Tower Operators in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Crane and Tower Operators workforce.
Employment Over Time
42,000 Workforce in 2023
The Crane and Tower Operators workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Crane and Tower Operators.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$82,918 Average Wage
In 2023, Crane and Tower Operators earned an average of $82,918.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Crane and Tower Operators.
Salary distribution for Crane and Tower Operators.
Employment Growth Projections
-2.7% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
6,664 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -13.0%
5,798 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -24.3%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Crane and Tower Operators.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Crane and Tower Operators and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Crane and Tower Operators employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Crane and Tower Operators.
Wage Trends by Industry
3.0% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Crane and Tower Operators.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Crane and Tower Operators.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 1,800 employees, $81,605 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Crane and Tower Operators.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 640 employees, $77,603 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 180 employees, $88,690 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 170 employees, $72,624 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 160 employees, $80,654 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 140 employees, $69,213 avg wage
- Bakersfield-Delano MSA: 110 employees, $78,145 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 110 employees, $95,751 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 60 employees, $96,244 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 60 employees, $119,772 avg wage
- Stockton-Lodi MSA: 50 employees, $70,770 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Crane and Tower Operators.
Diversity
Demographic information on Crane and Tower Operators in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Crane and Tower Operators in 2023 was 42,000 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Crane and Tower Operators.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Crane and Tower Operators.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Crane and Tower Operators.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Crane and Tower Operators in 2023 were Business Administration, Engineering, Business.
Common majors for Crane and Tower Operators.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Crane and Tower Operators workers.
Education level distribution for Crane and Tower Operators.
Skills
Crane and Tower Operators need many skills, but most especially Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Active Listening.
Required skills for Crane and Tower Operators.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Crane and Tower Operators.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Crane and Tower Operators include Mechanical, Mathematics, Transportation, English Language, Public Safety and Security.
Knowledge areas required for Crane and Tower Operators.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Crane and Tower Operators include Control Precision, Multilimb Coordination, Depth Perception, Far Vision, Rate Control.
Required abilities for Crane and Tower Operators.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Crane and Tower Operators.
Daily Activities
Crane and Tower Operators spend their time on activities such as Controlling Machines and Processes, Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Handling and Moving Objects, Getting Information.
Most important work activities for Crane and Tower Operators.
About
Crane and Tower Operators
The average yearly wage for Crane and Tower Operators was $82,918 in 2023.
SOC Code
53-7021 - Crane and Tower Operators
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Crane and Tower Operators reports an average salary of $82,918.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 42,000 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -2.7%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.