Skilled Wages

Crane operator salary in Alaska

Median $44.47 an hour for 50 crane and tower operators, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$44.47/hrMedian hourly wageAlaska, May data
$92,490/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$38.97 – $56.0010th to 90th percentilehourly range
50Jobs countedemployer survey

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025; prevailing wage as of 2026-09-28

Crane operator pay in Alaska: the full range

Wage percentiles, AlaskaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$0$20$40$60/hrAlaska: 10th $38.97 · 25th $39.39 · median $44.47 · 75th $46.51 · 90th $56.00Alaska$44.47$38.97$56.00United States: 10th $20.50 · 25th $25.29 · median $32.73 · 75th $40.00 · 90th $49.79United States$32.73
Hourly wage percentiles for crane and tower operators: Alaska vs United States, May 2025.

Alaska ranks 7th of 50 states for median crane operator pay, and 8th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $43.43). 50 crane and tower operators work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$38.97 – $39.39$81,060 – $81,930roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$39.39 – $46.51$81,930 – $96,740the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$46.51 – $56.00$96,740 – $116,480the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Crane operator wages in Alaska over time

Alaska, 1999-2025AlaskaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$20$30$40$50200020052010201520202025$44.47Alaska$32.73United States
Median hourly wage for crane and tower operators, Alaska vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearAlaska $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$22.72$43.90$15.29—
2000$18.76$35.07$15.8950
2001$22.11$40.19$16.6440
2002$25.15$45.01$17.4760
2003$26.90$47.07$17.8660
2004$29.10$49.60$17.99100
2005$30.05$49.54$18.69110
2006——$18.77140
2007$37.59$58.37$19.36150
2008$36.81$55.04$20.13190
2009$35.66$53.51$21.22130
2010$36.60$54.04$22.23—
2011$36.82$52.70$22.3470
2012$34.72$48.69$22.73130
2013$33.39$46.14$23.38150
2014$32.66$44.42$24.39140
2015$34.22$46.48$24.83100
2016$40.87$54.82$25.08100
2017$38.80$50.96$25.1060
2018$38.94$49.92$26.0350
2019$34.50$43.45$27.26120
2020$35.32$43.94$28.71150
2021$33.21$39.46$29.92120
2022$39.34$43.28$29.49100
2023$43.82$46.30$31.1040
2024$38.89$39.91$31.9150
2025$44.47$44.47$32.7350

In today's dollars, the median crane operator wage in Alaska changed by -4.3% over the last ten years of data.

Union scale and prevailing wage for crane operators in Alaska

On federally funded construction in Alaska, contractors must pay crane operators at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 30 of the 30 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $73.56 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical —). The market median for the state is $44.47.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, AKAleutians East: $73.56 (union)Aleutians West: $73.56 (union)Anchorage: $73.56 (union)Bethel: $73.56 (union)Bristol Bay: $73.56 (union)Chugach: $73.56 (union)Copper River: $73.56 (union)Denali: $73.56 (union)Dillingham: $73.56 (union)Fairbanks North Star: $73.56 (union)Haines: $73.56 (union)Hoonah-Angoon: $73.56 (union)Juneau: $73.56 (union)Kenai Peninsula: $73.56 (union)Ketchikan Gateway: $73.56 (union)Kodiak Island: $73.56 (union)Kusilvak: $73.56 (union)Lake and Peninsula: $73.56 (union)Matanuska-Susitna: $73.56 (union)Nome: $73.56 (union)North Slope: $73.56 (union)Northwest Arctic: $73.56 (union)Petersburg: $73.56 (union)Prince of Wales-Hyder: $73.56 (union)Sitka: $73.56 (union)Skagway: $73.56 (union)Southeast Fairbanks: $73.56 (union)Wrangell: $73.56 (union)Yakutat: $73.56 (union)Yukon-Koyukuk: $73.56 (union)Union / prevailing package, $/hr
Davis-Bacon base + fringe for crane operators by county, Building construction. Hatched counties use a survey rate rather than a union contract.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
Aleutians EastUnion ENGI0302-002 2025-01-01$44.06$29.50$73.56AK20260001
Aleutians WestUnion ENGI0302-002 2025-01-01$44.06$29.50$73.56AK20260001
AnchorageUnion ENGI0302-002 2025-01-01$44.06$29.50$73.56AK20260001
BethelUnion ENGI0302-002 2025-01-01$44.06$29.50$73.56AK20260001
Bristol BayUnion ENGI0302-002 2025-01-01$44.06$29.50$73.56AK20260001
ChugachUnion ENGI0302-002 2025-01-01$44.06$29.50$73.56AK20260001
Copper RiverUnion ENGI0302-002 2025-01-01$44.06$29.50$73.56AK20260001
DenaliUnion ENGI0302-002 2025-01-01$44.06$29.50$73.56AK20260001
DillinghamUnion ENGI0302-002 2025-01-01$44.06$29.50$73.56AK20260001
Fairbanks North StarUnion ENGI0302-002 2025-01-01$44.06$29.50$73.56AK20260001
HainesUnion ENGI0302-002 2025-01-01$44.06$29.50$73.56AK20260001
Hoonah-AngoonUnion ENGI0302-002 2025-01-01$44.06$29.50$73.56AK20260001
JuneauUnion ENGI0302-002 2025-01-01$44.06$29.50$73.56AK20260001
Kenai PeninsulaUnion ENGI0302-002 2025-01-01$44.06$29.50$73.56AK20260001
Ketchikan GatewayUnion ENGI0302-002 2025-01-01$44.06$29.50$73.56AK20260001

Building construction type, current revisions as of 2026-09-28. Residential, Heavy and Highway rates differ; look them up on the Alaska prevailing wage page. This is not the official wage determination.

Is construction work growing in Alaska?

20.9kConstruction jobsAlaska, 2026-08
-1.9%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-20265k10k15k20k25k30k1990199520002005201020152020202521kAug 2026
Construction employment in Alaska (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.

CountyEmployeesAverage annual payAvg weekly wage
Northwest Arctic Borough42$166,780$3,207
Fairbanks North Star Borough1,139$97,632$1,878
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area38$94,491$1,817
Anchorage Municipality3,714$93,075$1,790
Kodiak Island Borough68$79,339$1,526
Ketchikan Gateway Borough103$79,182$1,523
Matanuska-Susitna Borough1,621$78,163$1,503
Juneau City and Borough268$75,895$1,460
Kenai Peninsula Borough583$70,416$1,354
Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area22$66,671$1,282
Wrangell City and Borough17$47,986$923
Haines Borough12$44,723$860

Keep comparing

Crane operator pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Alaska

Questions this page answers

How much do crane operators make in Alaska?

The median crane operator in Alaska earned $44.47 an hour ($92,490 a year) in May 2025, 36% above the national median of $32.73. The middle half earn $39.39–$46.51; the top 10% earn more than $56.00.

Where does Alaska rank for crane operator pay?

Alaska ranks 7th of 50 states for crane operator pay, with a median of $44.47 an hour, and 8th after adjusting for Alaska's cost of living (BEA price parity 102.4, US = 100).

What is the union crane operator rate in Alaska?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for crane operators in 30 counties, with a typical package of $73.56 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many crane operators work in Alaska?

BLS counted 50 crane and tower operators in Alaska in May 2025, 0.2 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.58; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Alaska and metro areas, SOC 53-7021.
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics, state construction employment through 2026-08.
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.
  • BEA Regional Price Parities (cost-of-living adjustment).
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions as of 2026-09-28. Not the official determination.