Crane and Tower Operators Salary in the US
A crane and tower operators earns a national median of $68,080 a year (mean $72,130) — BLS OEWS May 2025, ranked #330 of 825.
How much does a crane and tower operators earn in the US?
A crane and tower operators in the United States earns a median of $68,080 a year (mean $72,130), per BLS OEWS May 2025. That is 34% above the US all-occupations median of $50,980. About 42,890 people work in this occupation (SOC 53-7021), ranked #330 of 825 by national median pay. Updated annually from BLS OEWS.
Median
$68,080
per year
Mean
$72,130
per year
Employment
42,890
US workers
National rank
#330
of 825 by median
What a crane and tower operators earns in the US
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS May 2025 national estimates, a crane and tower operators (SOC 53-7021) earns a median annual wage of $68,080 and a mean (average) of $72,130. The median is the midpoint — half of crane and tower operators earn more and half earn less — and is 34% above the US all-occupations median of $50,980. The mean is higher than the median when a minority of very high earners pull the average up.
Note: BLS top-codes any annual wage at or above $239,200/year, so occupations at that ceiling share the same figure.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the average salary for a crane and tower operators in the US?
- The BLS OEWS May 2025 national annual median wage for crane and tower operators is $68,080, and the mean (average) is $72,130. The median is the midpoint — half of crane and tower operators earn more and half earn less.
- How does crane and tower operators pay compare to the US average?
- At $68,080, a crane and tower operators earns 34% above the US all-occupations median of $50,980 (BLS OEWS May 2025). The all-occupations US median is $50,980.
- How many crane and tower operators are employed in the US?
- BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates about 42,890 crane and tower operators employed nationally (SOC 53-7021), across all industries.
- Where does this crane and tower operators salary data come from?
- From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2025 national release — cross-industry, all-ownership estimates, SOC code 53-7021. As US federal government work it is public domain. GeraJobs publishes the figures verbatim; suppressed cells are shown as "—", never estimated.
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Find crane and tower operators jobs with salary ranges
GeraJobs lists live US vacancies with employer-stated salary ranges — see which crane and tower operators roles pay above the BLS benchmark.
Data source
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) · May 2025 national estimates · SOC 53-7021 · Public domain (U.S. federal government work)
Published verbatim by GeraJobs. Last updated: 2026-06-27. ← All US salaries