Menu
Transportation

Crane & Tower Operators

SOC 53-7021

Operate large cranes at construction sites and ports.

The job
Median pay
$68k
$53k to $83k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing
+3.8% projected
Openings a year
4k
BLS projection
Typical education
High school
Our model
AI displacement risk
High
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
7/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
57th pct
More exposed than 57% of occupations · modeled estimate · 21st pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
44/100

Take the next step

Weigh it against Mining Machine OperatorsPay, outlook, entry and AI exposure side by side See where it pays mostHawaii leads at $124k; every state is below Find careers like itOpen the map at Crane & Tower Operators and explore its neighbours See open jobsCrane & Tower Operators roles hiring now Learn the skillsCourses for Crane & Tower Operators, who lean most on critical thinking Real pay & reviewsWhat Crane & Tower Operators say they actually earn

Key skills

Pay and jobs by state

BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's. A tilde marks a figure estimated from the parent occupation group where BLS publishes none.

StateJobsPer 1,000vs nationalMedian pay
Texas6,0100.41.6×$73k
Florida2,5700.30.9×$72k
Indiana2,3000.72.6×$53k
California2,1300.10.4×$80k
Louisiana1,9301.03.6×$61k
Ohio1,7800.31.2×$58k
Pennsylvania1,6300.31.0×$65k
Georgia1,3700.31.0×$62k
Michigan1,3100.31.1×$60k
Alabama1,2800.62.2×$61k
All 51 states
StateJobsPer 1,000vs nationalMedian pay
Illinois1,2200.20.7×$62k
New York1,1500.10.4×$86k
Virginia1,1200.31.0×$67k
North Carolina1,0500.20.8×$64k
Washington1,0300.31.1×$101k
New Jersey1,0000.20.8×$101k
Arizona9300.31.0×$67k
Arkansas8800.72.5×$42k
Kansas7800.52.0×$77k
South Carolina7200.31.1×$64k
Massachusetts6800.20.7×$98k
Maryland6700.20.9×$88k~
Tennessee6600.20.7×$59k
Iowa6500.41.5×$68k
Kentucky6400.31.2×$62k
Missouri6300.20.8×$58k
Oklahoma6200.41.3×$64k
Mississippi5500.51.7×$61k
Colorado4700.20.6×$77k
Utah4400.30.9×$67k
Wisconsin4400.10.5×$68k
Nebraska4100.41.4×$61k
Nevada3800.20.9×$116k
Minnesota3700.10.5×$81k
Maine3600.62.0×$66k
Oregon3400.20.6×$83k
New Mexico2900.31.2×$62k
Wyoming2300.83.0×$78k
Idaho2290.31.0×$53k~
Connecticut2200.10.5×$81k
Delaware2200.51.6×$60k
Hawaii1900.31.1×$124k
North Dakota1800.41.5×$83k
New Hampshire1700.20.9×$63k
Vermont1700.62.0×$73k
West Virginia1700.20.9×$55k
South Dakota1200.30.9×$71k
Rhode Island990.20.7×$104k~
Washington DC580.10.3×$76k~
Alaska500.20.6×$92k
Montana300.10.2×$83k

Top metro areas

  1. Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX2,100 jobs · $76k median
  2. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN1,880 jobs · $56k median
  3. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ1,500 jobs · $101k median
  4. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX1,310 jobs · $69k median
  5. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD790 jobs · $72k median
  6. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA660 jobs · $63k median
  7. Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI650 jobs · $60k median
  8. Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ630 jobs · $73k median

Explore the rankings

Fastest-growing jobsHighest-paying jobsJobs most exposed to AIMost AI-resilient jobsHigh pay, easy to enter All career rankings All 524 occupations Compare careers
Explore Crane & Tower Operators interactively →

Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.