Crane operator vs heavy equipment operator: who earns more

Pay, range, growth and a state map of which trade earns more, from BLS May 2025 data.

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025

Crane operator vs heavy equipment operator: the numbers

Hourly wage percentiles for crane operators (blue) and heavy equipment operators (grey), United States, May 2025. Thin track: 10th to 90th percentile; bar: 25th to 75th; dot: median.

	Crane operator	Heavy equipment operator
Median hourly wage	$32.73	$28.78
Median annual pay	$68,080	$59,850
10th percentile (entry)	$20.50	$20.28
90th percentile (top)	$49.79	$48.60
Jobs nationwide	42,890	478,090
Projected growth 2025-35	+3.8%	+4.6%
Openings per year	3,500	39,200
10-year real wage change	-3.0%	-1.2%
States where this trade pays more	41	9
States about even (within $0.50)	0	0

Which pays more where you live

Which trade's median hourly wage is higher in each state, May 2025: blue where crane operators earn more, orange where heavy equipment operators earn more, cream where the two are within $0.50. Hover or tap a state for the gap; hatched states have no BLS estimate for one of the two trades. Links go to the higher-paying trade's state page.

Median hourly wage by state for both trades, with the trade that pays more and the gap
State	Crane operator $/hr	Heavy equipment operator $/hr	Pays more, by how much
Nevada	$55.69	$34.33	Crane operator +$21.36
Rhode Island	$50.16	$30.58	Crane operator +$19.58
Illinois	$29.72	$46.99	Heavy equipment operator +$17.27
Indiana	$25.46	$38.26	Heavy equipment operator +$12.80
Maryland	$42.28	$29.53	Crane operator +$12.75
Kansas	$37.07	$24.82	Crane operator +$12.25
Texas	$35.23	$24.26	Crane operator +$10.97
Florida	$34.40	$23.75	Crane operator +$10.65
Massachusetts	$47.19	$36.93	Crane operator +$10.26
Montana	$39.81	$29.61	Crane operator +$10.20
North Dakota	$39.85	$29.88	Crane operator +$9.97
Washington	$48.61	$39.28	Crane operator +$9.33
Oklahoma	$30.57	$23.06	Crane operator +$7.51
South Carolina	$30.83	$23.53	Crane operator +$7.30
North Carolina	$31.00	$23.71	Crane operator +$7.29
Wyoming	$37.49	$30.27	Crane operator +$7.22
Alaska	$44.47	$37.41	Crane operator +$7.06
Colorado	$37.08	$30.11	Crane operator +$6.97
Georgia	$29.83	$23.02	Crane operator +$6.81
Vermont	$34.98	$28.30	Crane operator +$6.68
Mississippi	$29.45	$22.79	Crane operator +$6.66
Alabama	$29.22	$22.84	Crane operator +$6.38
South Dakota	$34.13	$28.61	Crane operator +$5.52
New Jersey	$48.39	$43.11	Crane operator +$5.28
New Mexico	$30.00	$25.00	Crane operator +$5.00
Oregon	$40.03	$35.30	Crane operator +$4.73
Maine	$31.58	$26.99	Crane operator +$4.59
Louisiana	$29.41	$24.86	Crane operator +$4.55
Virginia	$32.02	$27.48	Crane operator +$4.54
Idaho	$25.37	$29.66	Heavy equipment operator +$4.29
Hawaii	$59.74	$55.70	Crane operator +$4.04
California	$38.25	$41.90	Heavy equipment operator +$3.65
Wisconsin	$32.56	$36.19	Heavy equipment operator +$3.63
Tennessee	$28.56	$25.00	Crane operator +$3.56
Ohio	$27.70	$31.22	Heavy equipment operator +$3.52
Iowa	$32.50	$29.01	Crane operator +$3.49
Arizona	$32.38	$29.14	Crane operator +$3.24
Utah	$32.41	$29.20	Crane operator +$3.21
New York	$41.27	$38.94	Crane operator +$2.33
Pennsylvania	$31.34	$29.10	Crane operator +$2.24
Kentucky	$29.81	$27.78	Crane operator +$2.03
West Virginia	$26.36	$24.66	Crane operator +$1.70
Michigan	$28.72	$30.14	Heavy equipment operator +$1.42
Arkansas	$20.00	$21.41	Heavy equipment operator +$1.41
Connecticut	$39.12	$37.86	Crane operator +$1.26
Nebraska	$29.19	$28.06	Crane operator +$1.13
Delaware	$28.92	$27.89	Crane operator +$1.03
Missouri	$28.10	$29.10	Heavy equipment operator +$1.00
Minnesota	$38.91	$38.04	Crane operator +$0.87
New Hampshire	$30.44	$29.91	Crane operator +$0.53

Questions this page answers

Who makes more, crane operators or heavy equipment operators?

Nationally, Crane operators: a median of $32.73 an hour against $28.78 for heavy equipment operators, a gap of $3.95 an hour in May 2025. Crane and tower operators earn more in 41 states, heavy equipment operators in 9, and the two are within $0.50 an hour in 0.

Which has the better outlook, crane operators or heavy equipment operators?

BLS projects +3.8% growth for crane operators and +4.6% for heavy equipment operators over 2025-35, with 3,500 and 39,200 openings a year respectively.

Sources and notes

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; BLS Employment Projections; CPI-U.