Crane and Tower Operators Salary: $66,370 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 42,000 crane and tower operators work nationally, and $66,370 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown fell about 26% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 2.7% annual decline.
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 percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| 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 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 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Crane and Tower Operators shrank from 11,960 in 2009 to 7,660 in 2025 (36.0%).
Historical employment for Crane and Tower Operators from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$66,370 Median pay (BLS national)
Crane and Tower Operators earn $66,370 as the BLS national median annual wage.
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.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- TX: 6,650 employees, $69,120 avg wage
- FL: 2,460 employees, $70,040 avg wage
- OH: 2,120 employees, $65,360 avg wage
- CA: 2,010 employees, $80,950 avg wage
- GA: 1,780 employees, $64,270 avg wage
- LA: 1,750 employees, $62,670 avg wage
- PA: 1,650 employees, $67,200 avg wage
- IN: 1,600 employees, $62,440 avg wage
- NY: 1,330 employees, $144,740 avg wage
- VA: 1,280 employees, $64,080 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Crane and Tower Operators.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 2,390 employees, $71,430 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 1,460 employees, $132,880 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 1,380 employees, $69,950 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 1,210 employees, $68,870 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 930 employees, $66,630 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 760 employees, $78,430 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 760 employees, $69,300 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 720 employees, $75,750 avg wage
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI: 620 employees, $82,120 avg wage
- Baton Rouge, LA: 590 employees, $69,630 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 U.S. workforce for Crane and Tower Operators is about 42,000 people in our OEWS extract.
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
Crane and Tower Operators earn $66,370 as the BLS national median annual wage.
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.