Crane and Tower Operators pay in the U.S.
$72,130avg. a year
$34.68 an hour · 42,890 employed
Crane and Tower Operators in the U.S. earn an average of $72,130 a year and a median of $68,080. Pay is highest in Hawaii ($119,300) and lowest in Arkansas ($45,160).
$68,080Median pay
$34.68Average hourly
+13%Avg. pay since 2020
42,890Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for crane and tower operators
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
1190 jobs
Hawaii
$119,300
$57.36 an hour
21,150 jobs
New York
$115,400
$55.48 an hour
3380 jobs
Nevada
$108,410
$52.12 an hour
41,000 jobs
New Jersey
$102,380
$49.22 an hour
51,030 jobs
Washington
$101,600
$48.85 an hour
6680 jobs
Massachusetts
$100,260
$48.20 an hour
7
Rhode Island
$99,690
$47.93 an hour
850 jobs
Alaska
$91,790
$44.13 an hour
9340 jobs
Oregon
$91,780
$44.13 an hour
102,130 jobs
California
$87,030
$41.84 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Crane and Tower Operators pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $64k$64k–$70k$70k–$82k$82k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Urban Honolulu, HI | $118,530 | $56.99 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $116,710 | $56.11 |
| Worcester, MA | $109,460 | $52.63 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $105,010 | $50.49 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $104,910 | $50.44 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $97,830 | $47.04 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $97,700 | $46.97 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $94,960 | $45.65 |
Related jobs
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Crane and Tower Operators pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $61,170 | $60,790 | 1,280 |
| Alaska | $91,790 | $92,490 | 50 |
| Arizona | $70,260 | $67,350 | 930 |
| Arkansas | $45,160 | $41,600 | 880 |
| California | $87,030 | $79,570 | 2,130 |
| Colorado | $76,030 | $77,120 | 470 |
| Connecticut | $79,050 | $81,360 | 220 |
| Delaware | $62,330 | $60,160 | 220 |
| Florida | $71,460 | $71,560 | 2,570 |
| Georgia | $62,240 | $62,050 | 1,370 |
| Hawaii | $119,300 | $124,260 | 190 |
| Idaho | $65,560 | $52,770 | – |
| Illinois | $71,380 | $61,820 | 1,220 |
| Indiana | $57,330 | $52,950 | 2,300 |
| Iowa | $67,390 | $67,600 | 650 |
| Kansas | $73,110 | $77,100 | 780 |
| Kentucky | $63,750 | $62,000 | 640 |
| Louisiana | $63,380 | $61,170 | 1,930 |
| Maine | $66,340 | $65,690 | 360 |
| Maryland | $82,070 | $87,950 | – |
| Massachusetts | $100,260 | $98,150 | 680 |
| Michigan | $68,230 | $59,740 | 1,310 |
| Minnesota | $85,490 | $80,930 | 370 |
| Mississippi | $56,090 | $61,260 | 550 |
| Missouri | $63,850 | $58,450 | 630 |
| Montana | $81,740 | $82,800 | 30 |
| Nebraska | $61,510 | $60,720 | 410 |
| Nevada | $108,410 | $115,840 | 380 |
| New Hampshire | $65,170 | $63,310 | 170 |
| New Jersey | $102,380 | $100,640 | 1,000 |
| New Mexico | $63,550 | $62,400 | 290 |
| New York | $115,400 | $85,850 | 1,150 |
| North Carolina | $65,620 | $64,480 | 1,050 |
| North Dakota | $79,800 | $82,890 | 180 |
| Ohio | $63,000 | $57,620 | 1,780 |
| Oklahoma | $66,120 | $63,590 | 620 |
| Oregon | $91,780 | $83,260 | 340 |
| Pennsylvania | $68,580 | $65,190 | 1,630 |
| Rhode Island | $99,690 | $104,340 | – |
| South Carolina | $65,890 | $64,120 | 720 |
| South Dakota | $70,560 | $71,000 | 120 |
| Tennessee | $63,250 | $59,410 | 660 |
| Texas | $69,650 | $73,280 | 6,010 |
| Utah | $70,970 | $67,410 | 440 |
| Vermont | $75,930 | $72,760 | 170 |
| Virginia | $66,470 | $66,600 | 1,120 |
| Washington | $101,600 | $101,110 | 1,030 |
| West Virginia | $54,450 | $54,830 | 170 |
| Wisconsin | $72,660 | $67,720 | 440 |
| Wyoming | $79,180 | $77,970 | 230 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
$70,810
2,100 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$62,560
1,880 jobsNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$116,710
1,500 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$69,630
1,310 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
$78,380
790 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
$65,770
660 jobsDetroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
$70,000
650 jobsPhoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ
$70,860
630 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do crane and tower operators make?
The average is $72,130 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $68,080 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $34.68, and the median is $32.73 an hour.
Which state pays crane and tower operators the most?
Hawaii, with an average of $119,300 a year. The best-paying metro area is Urban Honolulu, HI at $118,530.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $42,640 a year, and the top 10% earn over $103,570.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 53-7021. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.