Skilled Wages

Crane operator salary in Arizona

Median $32.38 an hour for 930 crane and tower operators, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$32.38/hrMedian hourly wageArizona, May data
$67,350/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$24.49 – $42.3110th to 90th percentilehourly range
930Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Crane operator pay in Arizona: the full range

Wage percentiles, ArizonaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrArizona: 10th $24.49 · 25th $28.10 · median $32.38 · 75th $38.25 · 90th $42.31Arizona$32.38$24.49$42.31United 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: Arizona vs United States, May 2025.

Arizona ranks 26th of 50 states for median crane operator pay, and 36th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $32.15). 930 crane and tower operators work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$24.49 – $28.10$50,930 – $58,460roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$28.10 – $38.25$58,460 – $79,550the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$38.25 – $42.31$79,550 – $87,990the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Crane operator pay by metro in Arizona

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30$40/hrPhoenix: $34.89Phoenix$34.89Prescott Valley: $31.61Prescott Valley$31.61Tucson: $31.13Tucson$31.13
Median hourly wage for crane and tower operators by metro area in Arizona, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
Phoenix$24.49$34.89$43.016308% above
Prescott Valley$30.55$31.61$40.01402% below
Tucson$26.22$31.13$42.091004% below

Crane operator wages in Arizona over time

Arizona, 1999-2025ArizonaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$20$30$40200020052010201520202025$32.73United States$32.38Arizona
Median hourly wage for crane and tower operators, Arizona vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearArizona $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$14.49$28.00$15.29360
2000$16.30$30.47$15.89510
2001$16.40$29.81$16.64380
2002$16.40$29.35$17.47330
2003$16.87$29.52$17.86—
2004$17.28$29.45$17.99290
2005$17.91$29.52$18.69300
2006$18.98$30.31$18.77370
2007$24.98$38.79$19.36390
2008$24.78$37.05$20.13400
2009$23.54$35.33$21.22310
2010$19.18$28.32$22.23170
2011$22.22$31.80$22.34120
2012$22.19$31.12$22.73100
2013$20.93$28.92$23.38220
2014$20.68$28.12$24.39430
2015$20.86$28.33$24.83—
2016$19.82$26.59$25.08440
2017$21.54$28.29$25.10250
2018$22.78$29.21$26.03270
2019$32.36$40.75$27.26—
2020$34.75$43.23$28.71—
2021$29.64$35.22$29.92200
2022$33.70$37.07$29.49660
2023$26.87$28.39$31.10800
2024$32.67$33.53$31.911,110
2025$32.38$32.38$32.73930

In today's dollars, the median crane operator wage in Arizona changed by +14.3% over the last ten years of data.

Union scale and prevailing wage for crane operators in Arizona

On federally funded construction in Arizona, contractors must pay crane operators at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 15 of the 15 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $49.56 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical —). The market median for the state is $32.38.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, AZApache: $45.98 (union)Cochise: $49.56 (union)Coconino: $49.56 (union)Gila: $45.98 (union)Graham: $45.98 (union)Greenlee: $45.98 (union)La Paz: $45.98 (union)Maricopa: $49.56 (union)Mohave: $49.56 (union)Navajo: $45.98 (union)Pima: $49.56 (union)Pinal: $49.56 (union)Santa Cruz: $45.98 (union)Yavapai: $49.56 (union)Yuma: $49.56 (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.
Market median vs prevailing wage by countyMarket medianPrevailing (union)$20$30$40$50$60/hrPima (Tucson): market median $31.13, prevailing (union) $49.56, gap +$18.43Pima (Tucson)+$18.43Yavapai (Prescott Valley): market median $31.61, prevailing (union) $49.56, gap +$17.95Yavapai (Prescott Valley)+$17.95Cochise (Arizona): market median $32.38, prevailing (union) $49.56, gap +$17.18Cochise (Arizona)+$17.18Maricopa (Phoenix): market median $34.89, prevailing (union) $49.56, gap +$14.67Maricopa (Phoenix)+$14.67
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for crane operators, metro counties in Arizona.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
CochiseUnion ENGI0428-016 2023-06-01$36.04$13.52$49.56AZ20260038
CoconinoUnion ENGI0428-017 2023-06-01$36.04$13.52$49.56AZ20260043
MaricopaUnion ENGI0428-016 2023-06-01$36.04$13.52$49.56AZ20260039
MohaveUnion ENGI0428-017 2023-06-01$36.04$13.52$49.56AZ20260043
PimaUnion ENGI0428-016 2023-06-01$36.04$13.52$49.56AZ20260040
PinalUnion ENGI0428-016 2023-06-01$36.04$13.52$49.56AZ20260041
YavapaiUnion ENGI0428-017 2023-06-01$36.04$13.52$49.56AZ20260043
YumaUnion ENGI0428-016 2023-06-01$36.04$13.52$49.56AZ20260042
ApacheUnion ENGI0428-003 2022-06-01$33.41$12.57$45.98AZ20260022
GilaUnion ENGI0428-003 2022-06-01$33.41$12.57$45.98AZ20260024
GrahamUnion ENGI0428-003 2022-06-01$33.41$12.57$45.98AZ20260025
GreenleeUnion ENGI0428-003 2022-06-01$33.41$12.57$45.98AZ20260029
La PazUnion ENGI0428-003 2022-06-01$33.41$12.57$45.98AZ20260029
NavajoUnion ENGI0428-003 2022-06-01$33.41$12.57$45.98AZ20260027
Santa CruzUnion ENGI0428-003 2022-06-01$33.41$12.57$45.98AZ20260028

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

Is construction work growing in Arizona?

230.3kConstruction jobsArizona, 2026-08
+3.1%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-20260k100k200k300k19901995200020052010201520202025230kAug 2026
Construction employment in Arizona (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
Maricopa County112,986$80,473$1,548
Pinal County3,624$69,328$1,333
Apache County229$67,470$1,298
Pima County14,433$60,754$1,168
Gila County457$60,549$1,164
Yavapai County4,005$59,912$1,152
Coconino County1,997$59,074$1,136
Cochise County996$55,800$1,073
Mohave County3,158$55,472$1,067
Yuma County2,478$54,599$1,050
Navajo County1,037$53,067$1,021
Graham County———

Keep comparing

Crane operator pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Arizona

Questions this page answers

How much do crane operators make in Arizona?

The median crane operator in Arizona earned $32.38 an hour ($67,350 a year) in May 2025, 1% below the national median of $32.73. The middle half earn $28.10–$38.25; the top 10% earn more than $42.31.

Where does Arizona rank for crane operator pay?

Arizona ranks 26th of 50 states for crane operator pay, with a median of $32.38 an hour, and 36th after adjusting for Arizona's cost of living (BEA price parity 100.7, US = 100).

What is the union crane operator rate in Arizona?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for crane operators in 15 counties, with a typical package of $49.56 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many crane operators work in Arizona?

BLS counted 930 crane and tower operators in Arizona in May 2025, 0.3 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 1.04; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Arizona 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.