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Role hub · Crane and Tower Operators

Crane Operator: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

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Updated Nov 2, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
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Median percentile pay

Half of crane operators earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$68,080
Hourly
$32.73
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Crane Operators operate mechanical boom and cable or tower and cable equipment to lift and move materials, machines, or products in many directions. The median pay is $68,080 a year ($32.73 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a post-secondary certificate (61% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$68,080
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
42,890
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 3 of 5
medium preparation
Most common education
Post-Secondary Certificate
61% of workers

Data Government data groups this job as Crane and Tower Operators (O*NET-SOC 53-7021.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

Key facts

Crane Operators at a glance

  • Crane and tower operators in the United States earned a median annual wage of $68,080 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for crane and tower operators in the United States.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS projects employment of crane and tower operators in the United States to grow 3.8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,500 openings a year on average, including replacement openings.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS estimated that 42,890 people were employed as crane and tower operators in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the role

Every page for Crane Operators

SalaryCrane Operator salary

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The work

What crane operators do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Move levers, depress foot pedals, or turn dials to operate cranes, cherry pickers, electromagnets, or other moving equipment for lifting, moving, or placing loads.
  2. Inspect crane site conditions to determine ground stability.
  3. Inspect and adjust crane mechanisms or lifting accessories to prevent malfunctions or damage.
  4. Direct helpers engaged in placing blocking or outrigging under cranes.
  5. Determine load weights and check them against lifting capacities to prevent overload.
  6. Clean, lubricate, and maintain mechanisms such as cables, pulleys, or grappling devices, making repairs, as necessary.
  7. Inspect cables or grappling devices for wear and install or replace cables, as needed.
  8. Load or unload bundles from trucks, or move containers to storage bins, using moving equipment.
Where this career works

Industries that employ it

Data Share of all crane operator jobs in each industry, 2025 (BLS Employment Matrix).

  1. Specialty trade contractors28.6% of all jobs in this occupation · +5.6% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $85,530
  2. Merchant wholesalers, durable goods10.1% of all jobs in this occupation · +4.0% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $51,670
  3. Primary metal manufacturing10.0% of all jobs in this occupation · +2.2% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $52,060
  4. Heavy and civil engineering construction8.0% of all jobs in this occupation · +4.5% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $82,320
  5. Support activities for transportation5.7% of all jobs in this occupation · +1.2% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $70,730
  6. Fabricated metal product manufacturing4.1% of all jobs in this occupation · +1.4% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $50,740

Sources: BLS 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (share of the occupation's jobs, projected change) and BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates (mean wage). Different industry estimates are not a pay forecast for any person.

Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Operation and ControlcoreOperations MonitoringcoreCritical ThinkingcoreActive ListeningMonitoringJudgment and Decision MakingTime ManagementReading ComprehensionSpeaking

Knowledge areas: Mechanical, Mathematics.

Tools and technology

Software crane operators use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Crane operation control softwareIndustrial control software
  • Inventory tracking softwareInventory management software
  • Microsoft ExcelSpreadsheet softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft Office softwareOffice suite softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft OutlookElectronic mail softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft WindowsOperating system softwareHot technology

Also called: Equipment Operator, Heavy Equipment Operator, Machine Operator, Mobile Crane Operator, Overhead Crane Operator.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).

How TryHired builds this data: sources, methods and downloads. Spotted an error? Report a correction.