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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019

53-7021 Crane and Tower Operators

Operate mechanical boom and cable or tower and cable equipment to lift and move materials, machines, or products in many directions.


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
45,480 3.2 % $29.10 $60,530 1.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $15.51 $20.04 $27.26 $35.12 $44.15
Annual Wage (2) $32,250 $41,680 $56,690 $73,060 $91,840


Industry profile for this occupation:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Other Specialty Trade Contractors 11,310 1.59 $34.24 $71,230
Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods (4232, 4233, 4235, 4236, 4237, and 4239 only) 3,900 0.27 $22.15 $46,080
Support Activities for Water Transportation 2,960 3.10 $29.93 $62,260
Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing 2,860 3.34 $23.87 $49,650
Nonresidential Building Construction 1,970 0.24 $35.42 $73,680

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing 2,860 3.34 $23.87 $49,650
Support Activities for Water Transportation 2,960 3.10 $29.93 $62,260
Support Activities for Rail Transportation 730 2.02 $29.13 $60,580
Steel Product Manufacturing from Purchased Steel 930 1.61 $21.51 $44,750
Other Specialty Trade Contractors 11,310 1.59 $34.24 $71,230

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 100 0.03 $37.89 $78,820
Nonresidential Building Construction 1,970 0.24 $35.42 $73,680
Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction 1,430 0.41 $35.28 $73,380
Residential Building Construction 90 0.01 $34.51 $71,780
Other Specialty Trade Contractors 11,310 1.59 $34.24 $71,230


Geographic profile for this occupation:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Texas 6,420 0.52 1.67 $27.15 $56,470
California 3,530 0.20 0.66 $34.01 $70,740
Florida 2,810 0.32 1.03 $27.45 $57,090
Pennsylvania 2,700 0.46 1.48 $25.03 $52,070
Louisiana 2,600 1.35 4.36 $27.86 $57,950




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Louisiana 2,600 1.35 4.36 $27.86 $57,950
North Dakota 290 0.68 2.18 $32.12 $66,810
Maine 370 0.61 1.97 $24.74 $51,460
Arkansas 730 0.60 1.95 $20.96 $43,600
Indiana 1,760 0.57 1.85 $31.70 $65,950




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New Jersey 800 0.20 0.63 $38.84 $80,780
Washington 1,380 0.42 1.35 $36.24 $75,380
Massachusetts 430 0.12 0.38 $35.37 $73,570
California 3,530 0.20 0.66 $34.01 $70,740
Alaska 120 0.37 1.20 $33.92 $70,550





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 2,280 0.75 2.41 $26.27 $54,650
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 1,560 0.25 0.81 $35.83 $74,530
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 1,430 0.31 0.99 $29.57 $61,500
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 1,420 0.15 0.47 (8) (8)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 1,080 0.29 0.95 $27.51 $57,220
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 950 0.47 1.51 $38.06 $79,170
Pittsburgh, PA 820 0.71 2.30 $19.51 $40,570
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 810 0.41 1.33 $21.26 $44,210
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC 800 1.05 3.41 $30.44 $63,320
New Orleans-Metairie, LA 770 1.37 4.44 $25.64 $53,330




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Houma-Thibodaux, LA 380 4.46 14.40 $34.64 $72,040
Corpus Christi, TX 410 2.18 7.02 $33.08 $68,800
Mobile, AL 340 1.91 6.17 $24.83 $51,640
Decatur, AL 90 1.59 5.14 $19.67 $40,910
Baton Rouge, LA 620 1.57 5.06 $25.84 $53,740
Kankakee, IL 70 1.53 4.95 (8) (8)
Pueblo, CO 90 1.48 4.78 $22.47 $46,740
Owensboro, KY 80 1.48 4.78 $27.50 $57,200
Monroe, MI 60 1.45 4.67 $20.98 $43,640
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 220 1.38 4.45 $29.85 $62,080




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Reading, PA 160 0.91 2.95 $39.62 $82,410
Urban Honolulu, HI 60 0.13 0.41 $39.53 $82,220
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 410 0.27 0.88 $39.39 $81,920
Albany, OR (8) (8) (8) $38.69 $80,470
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 950 0.47 1.51 $38.06 $79,170
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY 190 0.34 1.10 $38.04 $79,130
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 610 0.19 0.62 $37.31 $77,610
Kennewick-Richland, WA 30 0.28 0.92 $36.94 $76,830
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA (8) (8) (8) $36.87 $76,680
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA (8) (8) (8) $36.64 $76,210

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 300 1.28 4.15 $19.39 $40,330
North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 250 0.90 2.89 $20.10 $41,810
East Arkansas nonmetropolitan area 240 3.49 11.27 $22.83 $47,490
West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area 210 1.65 5.32 $33.43 $69,540
Southern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 170 0.89 2.88 $20.44 $42,510

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
East Arkansas nonmetropolitan area 240 3.49 11.27 $22.83 $47,490
West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area 210 1.65 5.32 $33.43 $69,540
Northeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 300 1.28 4.15 $19.39 $40,330
Northeast Nebraska nonmetropolitan area 100 1.03 3.32 $23.21 $48,280
North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 250 0.90 2.89 $20.10 $41,810

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nevada nonmetropolitan area 80 0.83 2.68 $38.50 $80,090
Western Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 120 0.81 2.62 $35.94 $74,760
Alaska nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $34.48 $71,720
West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area 210 1.65 5.32 $33.43 $69,540
Northern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area 40 0.27 0.88 $30.84 $64,150


About May 2019 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2019 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: July 6, 2020