Skilled Wages

Crane operator salary in Alabama

Median $29.22 an hour for 1,280 crane operators, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 1999 and the state's own outlook.

$29.22/hrMedian hourly wageAlabama, May data
$60,790/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$18.10 – $47.7810th to 90th percentilehourly range
1,280Jobs countedemployer survey

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025; prevailing wage as of 2026-11-13

Crane operator pay in Alabama: the full range

Wage percentiles, AlabamaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrAlabama: 10th $18.10 · 25th $21.52 · median $29.22 · 75th $35.65 · 90th $47.78Alabama$29.22$18.10$47.78United States: 10th $20.50 · 25th $25.29 · median $32.73 · 75th $40.00 · 90th $49.79United States$32.73
Hourly wage percentiles for crane operators: Alabama vs United States, May 2025.

Alabama ranks 40th of 50 states for median crane operator pay, and 29th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $32.91). 1,280 crane operators work in the state. The top 10% earn 2.6× what the bottom 10% earn.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$18.10 – $21.52$37,650 – $44,750roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$21.52 – $35.65$44,750 – $74,150the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$35.65 – $47.78$74,150 – $99,380the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Crane operator pay by metro in Alabama

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30$40/hrMobile: $31.50Mobile$31.50Anniston: $26.93Anniston$26.93Tuscaloosa: $23.50Tuscaloosa$23.50Birmingham: $22.89Birmingham$22.89Decatur: $21.94Decatur$21.94Montgomery: $21.39Montgomery$21.39
Median hourly wage for crane operators by metro area in Alabama, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hrCost-of-living adjusted90thJobsvs state
Mobile$21.26$31.50$35.75$47.812608% above
Anniston$18.06$26.93$31.35$32.38408% below
Tuscaloosa$17.48$23.50$26.80$34.964020% below
Birmingham$17.98$22.89$24.99$36.6131022% below
Decatur$18.80$21.94$25.16$50.3210025% below
Montgomery$13.88$21.39$23.85$34.924027% below

Cost-of-living adjusted: median divided by the BEA regional price parity for the metro (2024, US = 100).

Crane operator wages in Alabama over time

Alabama, 1999-2025AlabamaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$20$30$40200020052010201520202025$32.73United States$29.22Alabama
Median hourly wage for crane operators, Alabama vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearAlabama $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$14.31$27.65$15.291,110
2000$16.04$29.99$15.891,340
2001$16.64$30.25$16.641,470
2002$17.44$31.21$17.471,260
2003$17.21$30.11$17.861,300
2004$16.51$28.14$17.991,320
2005$16.90$27.86$18.691,150
2006$14.48$23.12$18.77—
2007$14.14$21.96$19.361,870
2008$13.56$20.28$20.131,870
2009$17.49$26.25$21.221,350
2010$18.64$27.52$22.231,170
2011$18.14$25.96$22.341,160
2012$19.43$27.25$22.73940
2013$20.86$28.83$23.381,260
2014$22.88$31.12$24.391,310
2015$23.35$31.72$24.831,310
2016$23.07$30.95$25.081,200
2017$21.42$28.13$25.101,080
2018$23.65$30.32$26.031,030
2019$22.84$28.76$27.26890
2020$22.82$28.39$28.71970
2021$23.19$27.55$29.921,040
2022$23.25$25.58$29.491,010
2023$24.33$25.71$31.101,070
2024$22.90$23.50$31.911,170
2025$29.22$29.22$32.731,280

In today's dollars, the median crane operator wage in Alabama changed by -7.9% over the last ten years of data and by +1.6% since 2019.

Are there more crane operator jobs in Alabama?

0.6Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 2.2× the US share, 5th of 47 states

BLS counted 1,280 crane operators in Alabama in May 2025, an estimate with a relative standard error of 8%. With fewer than 3,000 jobs or a wide margin of error, year-to-year changes are within the survey's noise and are not shown as a trend.

Outlook for crane operators in Alabama

+9.4%Projected growth in Alabama2024–2034, state agency
120Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
1,190Jobs in 20241,300 projected for 2034
+3.8%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

Alabama's labor market agency projects the number of crane operators in the state to change by +9.4% between 2024 and 2034, from 1,190 to 1,300, with about 120 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects +3.8% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed and use a different base year, so they do not match the 1,280 counted by the BLS employer survey.

Source: Alabama labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034 long-term projections (state projections page).

Union scale and prevailing wage for crane operators in Alabama

On federally funded construction in Alabama, contractors must pay crane operators at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 29 of the 29 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $46.62 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical —). The market median for the state is $29.22.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, ALAutauga: $46.30 (union)Baldwin: $46.30 (union)Barbour: n/aBibb: $46.62 (union)Blount: $46.62 (union)Bullock: n/aButler: n/aCalhoun: $46.62 (union)Chambers: n/aCherokee: n/aChilton: $46.62 (union)Choctaw: n/aClarke: n/aClay: n/aCleburne: n/aCoffee: n/aColbert: $46.62 (union)Conecuh: n/aCoosa: n/aCovington: n/aCrenshaw: n/aCullman: n/aDale: n/aDallas: n/aDeKalb: n/aElmore: $46.30 (union)Escambia: n/aEtowah: $46.62 (union)Fayette: n/aFranklin: n/aGeneva: $46.30 (union)Greene: n/aHale: $46.62 (union)Henry: $46.30 (union)Houston: $46.30 (union)Jackson: n/aJefferson: $46.62 (union)Lamar: n/aLauderdale: $46.62 (union)Lawrence: $46.62 (union)Lee: $46.30 (union)Limestone: $46.62 (union)Lowndes: $46.30 (union)Macon: n/aMadison: $46.62 (union)Marengo: n/aMarion: n/aMarshall: n/aMobile: $46.30 (union)Monroe: n/aMontgomery: $46.30 (union)Morgan: $46.62 (union)Perry: n/aPickens: $46.62 (union)Pike: n/aRandolph: n/aRussell: $46.30 (union)St. Clair: $46.62 (union)Shelby: $46.62 (union)Sumter: n/aTalladega: n/aTallapoosa: n/aTuscaloosa: $46.62 (union)Walker: $46.62 (union)Washington: n/aWilcox: n/aWinston: n/aUnion / prevailing package, $/hrn/a
Davis-Bacon base + fringe for crane operators by county, Building construction. Hatched counties use a survey rate rather than a union contract.
Market median vs prevailing wage by countyMarket medianPrevailing (union)$10$20$30$40$50/hrAutauga (Montgomery): market median $21.39, prevailing (union) $46.30, gap +$24.91Autauga (Montgomery)+$24.91Lawrence (Decatur): market median $21.94, prevailing (union) $46.62, gap +$24.68Lawrence (Decatur)+$24.68Bibb (Birmingham): market median $22.89, prevailing (union) $46.62, gap +$23.73Bibb (Birmingham)+$23.73Hale (Tuscaloosa): market median $23.50, prevailing (union) $46.62, gap +$23.12Hale (Tuscaloosa)+$23.12Calhoun (Anniston): market median $26.93, prevailing (union) $46.62, gap +$19.69Calhoun (Anniston)+$19.69Colbert (Alabama): market median $29.22, prevailing (union) $46.62, gap +$17.40Colbert (Alabama)+$17.40Mobile (Mobile): market median $31.50, prevailing (union) $46.30, gap +$14.80Mobile (Mobile)+$14.80
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for crane operators, metro counties in Alabama.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
BibbUnion ENGI0312-017 2024-09-01$32.57$14.05$46.62AL20260099
BlountUnion ENGI0312-017 2024-09-01$32.57$14.05$46.62AL20260099
CalhounUnion ENGI0312-001 2024-09-01$32.57$14.05$46.62AL20260084
ChiltonUnion ENGI0312-017 2024-09-01$32.57$14.05$46.62AL20260099
ColbertUnion ENGI0312-001 2024-09-01$32.57$14.05$46.62AL20260100
EtowahUnion ENGI0312-001 2024-09-01$32.57$14.05$46.62AL20260085
HaleUnion ENGI0312-001 2024-09-01$32.57$14.05$46.62AL20260103
JeffersonUnion ENGI0312-001 2024-09-01$32.57$14.05$46.62AL20260087
LauderdaleUnion ENGI0312-001 2024-09-01$32.57$14.05$46.62AL20260100
LawrenceUnion ENGI0312-001 2024-09-01$32.57$14.05$46.62AL20260088
LimestoneUnion ENGI0312-001 2024-09-01$32.57$14.05$46.62AL20260090
MadisonUnion ENGI0312-001 2024-09-01$32.57$14.05$46.62AL20260091
MorganUnion ENGI0312-001 2024-09-01$32.57$14.05$46.62AL20260094
PickensUnion ENGI0312-001 2024-09-01$32.57$14.05$46.62AL20260103
St. ClairUnion ENGI0312-017 2024-09-01$32.57$14.05$46.62AL20260097

Building construction type, current revisions as of 2026-11-13. Residential, Heavy and Highway rates differ; look them up on the Alabama prevailing wage page. This is not the official wage determination.

Is construction work growing in Alabama?

113.8kConstruction jobsAlabama, 2026-09
+2.6%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-202660k80k100k120k19901995200020052010201520202025114kSep 2026
Construction employment in Alabama (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Contractor pay by county

Average pay at specialty trade contractors establishments by county (all employees, not just crane operators), from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages. Across the 57 counties that report both years, specialty trade contractor employment (all trades) went from 44,698 in 2015 to 62,190 in 2025, +39.1%.

CountyEstablishmentsEmployeesAverage annual payAvg weekly wage
Jefferson County95812,148$79,282$1,525
Madison County5805,213$75,617$1,454
Mobile County6598,072$75,348$1,449
Morgan County2382,314$75,205$1,446
Chilton County78457$75,114$1,445
Shelby County4163,494$74,861$1,440
Montgomery County2443,254$71,634$1,378
Colbert County861,209$68,621$1,320
Baldwin County5923,531$67,920$1,306
Lauderdale County1301,405$67,819$1,304
Elmore County132805$67,299$1,294
Limestone County1711,759$66,641$1,282

Keep comparing

Crane operator pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Alabama

More on Alabama

Questions this page answers

How much do crane operators make in Alabama?

The median crane operator in Alabama earned $29.22 an hour ($60,790 a year) in May 2025, 11% below the national median of $32.73. The middle half earn $21.52–$35.65; the top 10% earn more than $47.78.

Where does Alabama rank for crane operator pay?

Alabama ranks 40th of 50 states for crane operator pay, with a median of $29.22 an hour, and 29th after adjusting for Alabama's cost of living (BEA price parity 88.8, US = 100).

What is the union crane operator rate in Alabama?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for crane operators in 29 counties, with a typical package of $46.62 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many crane operators work in Alabama?

BLS counted 1,280 crane operators in Alabama in May 2025, 0.6 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 2.19; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is crane operator work growing in Alabama?

Alabama's labor market agency projects +9.4% growth for crane operators between 2024 and 2034, from 1,190 to 1,300 jobs.

How many crane operator openings a year are there in Alabama?

Alabama projects about 120 openings a year for crane operators over 2024–2034, counting both new positions and replacements for people who retire or change occupation. Nationally BLS projects about 3,500 a year.

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Alabama and metro areas, SOC 53-7021. Job counts are survey estimates and exclude the self-employed.
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics, state construction employment through 2026-09.
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.
  • BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (cost-of-living adjustment).
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions as of 2026-11-13. Not the official determination.
  • BLS Employment Projections, national, 2025-35.
  • State projection: Alabama labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.