Conveyor Operators and Tenders
Median $42,420
Occupation · SOC 53-7021
Crane and Tower Operators: pay and where the jobs are
What crane and tower operators earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$68,080 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $72,130
- Median hourly wage
- $32.73
- Mean hourly wage
- $34.68
- Employment
- 42,890
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 53-7021.
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See where your pay falls among crane and tower operators nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do crane and tower operators make?
The median annual wage for crane and tower operators was $68,080 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $42,640 and the highest-paid 10% more than $103,570. As an hourly rate, the median is $32.73. About 42,890 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Hawaii ($124,260), Nevada ($115,840) and Rhode Island ($104,340). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Nevada.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for crane and tower operators looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $42,640 | $20.50 | $3,553 | $3,037 |
| 25th percentile | $52,600 | $25.29 | $4,383 | $3,704 |
| Median | $68,080 | $32.73 | $5,673 | $4,727 |
| 75th percentile | $83,200 | $40.00 | $6,933 | $5,613 |
| 90th percentile | $103,570 | $49.79 | $8,631 | $6,808 |
Crane and Tower Operators: pay by state
51 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$90,342 take-home in national prices
2
$80,188 take-home in national prices
3
$76,045 take-home in national prices
Where a median crane and tower operator paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 190 | $124,260 | $96,640 | $131,220 | $88,168 | $80,188 |
| Nevada | 380 | $115,840 | $61,460 | $135,000 | $90,323 | $90,342 |
| Rhode Island | Not published | $104,340 | $67,460 | $132,610 | $77,779 | $76,045 |
| Washington | 1,030 | $101,110 | $63,180 | $133,550 | $78,558 | $73,410 |
| New Jersey | 1,000 | $100,640 | $65,510 | $129,570 | $74,796 | $68,743 |
| Massachusetts | 680 | $98,150 | $59,860 | $129,790 | $72,740 | $68,780 |
| Alaska | 50 | $92,490 | $81,060 | $116,480 | $73,626 | $71,929 |
| Maryland | Not published | $87,950 | $61,450 | $94,700 | $66,891 | $63,731 |
| New York | 1,150 | $85,850 | $49,460 | $216,500 | $64,785 | $60,030 |
| Oregon | 340 | $83,260 | $49,780 | $132,400 | $61,221 | $59,230 |
| North Dakota | 180 | $82,890 | $50,200 | $96,790 | $66,786 | $75,075 |
| Montana | 30 | $82,800 | $51,970 | $101,860 | $63,763 | $67,370 |
| Connecticut | 220 | $81,360 | $52,000 | $106,980 | $61,935 | $59,777 |
| Minnesota | 370 | $80,930 | $52,590 | $116,890 | $61,428 | $62,287 |
| California | 2,130 | $79,570 | $50,550 | $135,820 | $60,618 | $54,749 |
| Wyoming | 230 | $77,970 | $63,650 | $94,580 | $63,682 | $68,703 |
| Colorado | 470 | $77,120 | $57,800 | $97,470 | $60,060 | $58,281 |
| Kansas | 780 | $77,100 | $49,840 | $99,500 | $59,567 | $66,136 |
| Texas | 6,010 | $73,280 | $42,790 | $93,390 | $60,382 | $62,213 |
| Vermont | 170 | $72,760 | $61,070 | $105,910 | $57,719 | $58,922 |
| Florida | 2,570 | $71,560 | $47,840 | $94,170 | $59,172 | $57,219 |
| South Dakota | 120 | $71,000 | $58,370 | $93,600 | $58,779 | $66,352 |
| Wisconsin | 440 | $67,720 | $48,980 | $104,420 | $53,960 | $57,346 |
| Iowa | 650 | $67,600 | $47,480 | $83,650 | $54,470 | $62,065 |
| Utah | 440 | $67,410 | $35,880 | $97,140 | $53,580 | $54,195 |
| Arizona | 930 | $67,350 | $50,930 | $87,990 | $54,921 | $54,551 |
| Virginia | 1,120 | $66,600 | $42,720 | $88,480 | $52,668 | $52,093 |
| Maine | 360 | $65,690 | $45,310 | $90,730 | $51,877 | $53,454 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,630 | $65,190 | $44,320 | $106,380 | $52,513 | $53,820 |
| North Carolina | 1,050 | $64,480 | $46,530 | $82,730 | $51,926 | $55,049 |
| South Carolina | 720 | $64,120 | $45,420 | $89,440 | $51,765 | $55,216 |
| Oklahoma | 620 | $63,590 | $46,300 | $82,500 | $50,959 | $58,011 |
| New Hampshire | 170 | $63,310 | $48,830 | $88,630 | $53,050 | $50,928 |
| New Mexico | 290 | $62,400 | $45,180 | $81,830 | $50,551 | $54,821 |
| Georgia | 1,370 | $62,050 | $41,700 | $76,860 | $49,689 | $51,602 |
| Kentucky | 640 | $62,000 | $40,810 | $89,660 | $49,945 | $55,396 |
| Illinois | 1,220 | $61,820 | $41,470 | $131,280 | $48,937 | $48,958 |
| Mississippi | 550 | $61,260 | $34,690 | $73,840 | $49,684 | $57,139 |
| Louisiana | 1,930 | $61,170 | $45,370 | $82,620 | $49,881 | $56,550 |
| Alabama | 1,280 | $60,790 | $37,650 | $99,380 | $48,481 | $54,582 |
| Nebraska | 410 | $60,720 | $36,140 | $82,410 | $49,085 | $54,477 |
| Delaware | 220 | $60,160 | $53,940 | $77,730 | $47,616 | $47,708 |
| Michigan | 1,310 | $59,740 | $44,510 | $99,090 | $47,893 | $49,776 |
| Tennessee | 660 | $59,410 | $40,890 | $84,090 | $49,916 | $54,333 |
| Missouri | 630 | $58,450 | $40,680 | $95,580 | $47,335 | $52,121 |
| Guam | 50 | $58,140 | $47,010 | $72,230 | — | — |
| Ohio | 1,780 | $57,620 | $41,910 | $98,530 | $47,337 | $51,024 |
| West Virginia | 170 | $54,830 | $36,260 | $72,090 | $44,588 | $49,821 |
| Indiana | 2,300 | $52,950 | $38,830 | $87,640 | $43,193 | $46,280 |
| Idaho | Not published | $52,770 | $46,970 | $104,240 | $42,892 | $44,916 |
| Arkansas | 880 | $41,600 | $35,920 | $64,100 | $34,554 | $39,746 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 53-7021. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.