Crane and Tower Operators
US occupation · SOC 53-7021
Job titles people report: Crane Operator, Equipment Operator, Heavy Equipment Operator, Machine Operator, Mobile Crane Operator, Overhead Crane Operator, Port Crane Operator, Scrap Crane Operator, Tower Crane Operator, Woodyard Crane Operator
Pay and outlook
- Median annual wage, May 2025
- $68,080
- Half earn more, half earn less
- Middle half earn
- $52,600 – $83,200
- 25th to 75th percentile
- People employed, May 2025
- 42,890
- Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)
- Projected change, 2025–35
- +3.8%
- At or above the all-jobs rate (3.5% to under 7%)
- Openings a year (projected)
- 3,500
- New jobs plus replacing people who leave
- Typical education to enter
- High school diploma or equivalent
- BLS
- All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
- Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
- Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.
What the work involves
Operate mechanical boom and cable or tower and cable equipment to lift and move materials, machines, or products in many directions.
Main tasks
- Move levers, depress foot pedals, or turn dials to operate cranes, cherry pickers, electromagnets, or other moving equipment for lifting, moving, or placing loads.
- Inspect crane site conditions to determine ground stability.
- Inspect and adjust crane mechanisms or lifting accessories to prevent malfunctions or damage.
- Direct helpers engaged in placing blocking or outrigging under cranes.
- Determine load weights and check them against lifting capacities to prevent overload.
- Clean, lubricate, and maintain mechanisms such as cables, pulleys, or grappling devices, making repairs, as necessary.
- Inspect cables or grappling devices for wear and install or replace cables, as needed.
- Load or unload bundles from trucks, or move containers to storage bins, using moving equipment.
Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.
Getting in
- Typical education to enter (BLS)
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Work experience in a related job: less than 5 years
- Training once hired: moderate-term on-the-job training
- O*NET Job Zone 3
- Medium preparation
- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Interests it suits
The strongest of the six O*NET interest types for this occupation, highest first. The short glosses are ours.
- Realistic: hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
- Conventional: organising information, records and procedures
- Investigative: research, analysis and solving problems with ideas
Fields of study that lead here
From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 2 programmes to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.
Fields
Our college matcher doesn't offer this field as a major, so we can't suggest colleges for it here.
Transportation and Materials Moving
- Construction/Heavy Equipment/Earthmoving Equipment Operation
- Mobil Crane Operator/Operation
Related careers
Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.
- Hoist and Winch Operators
$56,450 median · +0.2% projected
- Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators
$46,420 median · +1.5% projected
- Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines
$65,510 median · +6.7% projected
- Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining
$57,430 median · +1% projected
- Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
$59,850 median · +4.6% projected
- Pile Driver Operators
$73,300 median · -5.7% projected
Sources
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CollegeMatcher has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET 31.0 Database · CC BY 4.0
Changes: we show the core tasks in the O*NET database with the highest importance ratings (up to eight, in that order), the top three O*NET interest types by score, and shortened Job Zone names. Titles, descriptions and task text are unchanged.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Projections, typical entry education and training: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35. Fields of study: NCES and BLS CIP 2020–SOC 2018 Crosswalk. All public domain. OEWS · Employment Projections · CIP–SOC crosswalk