Crane and Tower Operators
SOC code 53-7021 · Transportation and Material Moving Occupations
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $42,640 | $20.50 |
| 25th percentile | $52,600 | $25.29 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $68,080 | $32.73 |
| 75th percentile | $83,200 | $40.00 |
| 90th percentile | $103,570 | $49.79 |
See where a wage ranks
Estimate only, based on linear interpolation between this occupation's BLS OEWS reported percentiles above.
Wages by state (May 2024)
State-level employment and wage estimates for Crane and Tower Operators (SOC 53-7021), from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) State estimates, May 2024. Data available for 50 of 51 states/DC for this occupation.
| State | Employment | Mean annual | Median annual | 10th pctl annual | 25th pctl annual | 75th pctl annual | 90th pctl annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 1,170 | $51,470 | $47,620 | $34,940 | $39,010 | $58,130 | $73,410 |
| Alaska | 50 | $89,310 | $80,900 | $69,270 | $79,880 | $100,330 | $106,370 |
| Arizona | 1,110 | $68,880 | $67,960 | $47,880 | $62,330 | $77,510 | $88,830 |
| Arkansas | 670 | $46,230 | $42,170 | $34,510 | $35,580 | $57,220 | $66,390 |
| California | 2,010 | $80,950 | $69,970 | $43,830 | $59,110 | $100,190 | $135,010 |
| Colorado | 600 | $73,920 | $74,140 | $56,760 | $67,070 | $76,910 | $85,920 |
| Connecticut | 260 | $87,240 | $86,830 | $59,270 | $75,010 | $104,380 | $112,140 |
| Delaware | 70 | $63,910 | $62,820 | $52,990 | $54,170 | $74,920 | $82,570 |
| District of Columbia | 50 | $100,560 | $106,150 | $81,600 | $89,560 | $106,410 | $112,320 |
| Florida | 2,460 | $70,040 | $70,130 | $41,670 | $53,510 | $81,000 | $97,310 |
| Georgia | 1,780 | $64,270 | $67,230 | $41,580 | $53,210 | $74,510 | $79,240 |
| Hawaii | 220 | $114,070 | $115,870 | $91,810 | $106,130 | $125,520 | $127,700 |
| Idaho | — | $77,970 | $73,480 | $68,840 | $71,330 | $84,250 | $92,510 |
| Illinois | 1,100 | $70,720 | $53,240 | $40,150 | $44,550 | $97,100 | $137,150 |
| Indiana | 1,600 | $62,440 | $57,890 | $44,280 | $49,520 | $75,990 | $88,420 |
| Iowa | 570 | $60,370 | $55,620 | $44,740 | $48,650 | $75,230 | $81,610 |
| Kansas | 620 | $65,380 | $64,430 | $48,940 | $48,940 | $76,750 | $78,620 |
| Kentucky | 770 | $57,850 | $55,100 | $40,090 | $41,720 | $68,810 | $83,970 |
| Louisiana | 1,750 | $62,670 | $61,130 | $44,870 | $50,800 | $76,530 | $82,490 |
| Maine | 430 | $61,570 | $61,320 | $44,090 | $46,370 | $73,310 | $85,200 |
| Maryland | 310 | $68,660 | $66,800 | $46,590 | $59,690 | $78,920 | $88,040 |
| Massachusetts | 480 | $89,630 | $76,640 | $54,140 | $63,990 | $119,400 | $145,850 |
| Michigan | 1,210 | $77,290 | $77,110 | $44,700 | $53,300 | $92,750 | $97,280 |
| Minnesota | 170 | $70,620 | $67,320 | $48,800 | $56,880 | $78,290 | $100,800 |
| Mississippi | 770 | $60,210 | $62,510 | $36,810 | $45,920 | $68,670 | $83,920 |
| Missouri | 470 | $60,110 | $46,580 | $37,550 | $39,870 | $74,420 | $98,170 |
| Montana | 90 | $82,420 | $91,520 | $44,780 | $58,280 | $105,520 | $105,520 |
| Nebraska | 290 | $63,200 | $66,800 | $43,110 | $46,500 | $77,180 | $79,090 |
| Nevada | — | $107,660 | $129,930 | $62,370 | $70,410 | $132,570 | $132,580 |
| New Hampshire | 190 | $63,770 | $63,410 | $42,590 | $51,260 | $73,840 | $86,050 |
| New Jersey | 740 | $93,240 | $88,470 | $62,460 | $76,810 | $99,340 | $136,850 |
| New Mexico | 110 | $62,390 | $60,950 | $39,590 | $50,720 | $69,420 | $86,670 |
| New York | 1,330 | $144,740 | $110,000 | $63,820 | $83,760 | $186,440 | — |
| North Carolina | 1,100 | $63,970 | $62,060 | $42,340 | $51,460 | $78,210 | $82,790 |
| North Dakota | 220 | $74,770 | $74,880 | $48,570 | $60,490 | $83,410 | $86,650 |
| Ohio | 2,120 | $65,360 | $62,460 | $42,140 | $49,380 | $75,990 | $99,010 |
| Oklahoma | 540 | $67,030 | $71,500 | $40,070 | $51,000 | $80,300 | $87,950 |
| Oregon | 460 | $98,050 | $110,280 | $62,120 | $73,310 | $112,060 | $121,730 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,650 | $67,200 | $57,760 | $39,620 | $47,730 | $91,710 | $107,800 |
| South Carolina | 980 | $61,170 | $55,410 | $40,290 | $46,140 | $77,710 | $83,680 |
| South Dakota | 50 | $69,740 | $70,400 | $46,770 | $54,780 | $78,240 | $91,550 |
| Tennessee | 500 | $59,300 | $56,530 | $41,530 | $45,780 | $72,000 | $86,320 |
| Texas | 6,650 | $69,120 | $72,870 | $40,060 | $56,500 | $79,520 | $92,040 |
| Utah | 510 | $68,330 | $69,020 | $37,520 | $60,330 | $78,550 | $90,530 |
| Vermont | 120 | $79,280 | $73,840 | $62,380 | $64,480 | $100,190 | $104,000 |
| Virginia | 1,280 | $64,080 | $65,400 | $41,720 | $51,940 | $74,300 | $85,820 |
| Washington | 890 | $95,020 | $96,870 | $64,200 | $77,010 | $113,700 | $128,610 |
| West Virginia | 200 | $58,710 | $54,650 | $35,500 | $46,870 | $64,480 | $93,050 |
| Wisconsin | 730 | $72,460 | $68,310 | $45,310 | $54,170 | $99,110 | $104,900 |
| Wyoming | 120 | $74,450 | $76,110 | $64,460 | $67,310 | $79,570 | $85,830 |
Hourly by-state wages are in the source dataset but not rendered here (annual only, to keep this table a manageable width); see the source link below for the full file. BLS suppresses some state-level figures for reliability: an em dash (—) means BLS did not publish that figure for this state and occupation. Per BLS’s own field definitions: "*" = a wage estimate is not available; "**" = an employment estimate is not available; "#" = a wage equal to or greater than $115.00 per hour or $239,200 per year (all three are shown here as —, not guessed). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), State occupational employment and wage estimates, May 2024.
Similar-paying occupations in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations
- Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers 53-4022$68,840/yr
- Wellhead Pumpers 53-7073$69,960/yr
- Flight Attendants 53-2031$63,580/yr
- Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers 53-7072$61,770/yr
- Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers 53-4013$60,600/yr
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 estimates. Wage figures are BLS OEWS estimates and may not reflect current pay.