Skilled Wages

Crane operator salary in Colorado

Median $37.08 an hour for 470 crane and tower operators, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$37.08/hrMedian hourly wageColorado, May data
$77,120/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$27.79 – $46.8610th to 90th percentilehourly range
470Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Crane operator pay in Colorado: the full range

Wage percentiles, ColoradoMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrColorado: 10th $27.79 · 25th $31.49 · median $37.08 · 75th $38.00 · 90th $46.86Colorado$37.08$27.79$46.86United 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: Colorado vs United States, May 2025.

Colorado ranks 17th of 50 states for median crane operator pay, and 20th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $35.97). 470 crane and tower operators work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$27.79 – $31.49$57,800 – $65,500roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$31.49 – $38.00$65,500 – $79,040the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$38.00 – $46.86$79,040 – $97,470the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Crane operator pay by metro in Colorado

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30$40/hrDenver: $37.12Denver$37.12Greeley: $35.26Greeley$35.26
Median hourly wage for crane and tower operators by metro area in Colorado, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
Denver$34.99$37.12$44.40250about the same as
Greeley$30.55$35.26$67.30305% below

Crane operator wages in Colorado over time

Colorado, 1999-2025ColoradoUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$20$30$4020002005201020152025$37.08Colorado$32.73United States
Median hourly wage for crane and tower operators, Colorado vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearColorado $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$15.95$30.82$15.29690
2000$21.76$40.68$15.891,150
2001$22.50$40.90$16.641,150
2002$21.46$38.40$17.47880
2003$21.80$38.14$17.86850
2004$19.62$33.44$17.99510
2005$20.00$32.97$18.69370
2006$21.42$34.21$18.77450
2007$25.80$40.06$19.36640
2008$25.02$37.41$20.13520
2009$24.62$36.95$21.22410
2010$22.08$32.60$22.23440
2011$24.12$34.52$22.34580
2012$24.83$34.82$22.73690
2013$26.58$36.73$23.38560
2014$23.39$31.81$24.39540
2015$21.39$29.05$24.83400
2016$22.41$30.06$25.08450
2017$24.26$31.86$25.10430
2018$25.73$32.99$26.03350
2021$35.88$42.63$29.92820
2022$31.61$34.77$29.49560
2023$33.47$35.36$31.10480
2024$35.65$36.59$31.91600
2025$37.08$37.08$32.73470

In today's dollars, the median crane operator wage in Colorado changed by +27.6% over the last ten years of data.

Union scale and prevailing wage for crane operators in Colorado

On federally funded construction in Colorado, contractors must pay crane operators at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 17 of the 17 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $51.29 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical —). The market median for the state is $37.08.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, COAdams: $51.29 (union)Alamosa: —Arapahoe: $51.29 (union)Archuleta: —Baca: —Bent: —Boulder: $51.29 (union)Broomfield: $51.29 (union)Chaffee: —Cheyenne: —Clear Creek: $51.29 (union)Conejos: —Costilla: —Crowley: —Custer: —Delta: —Denver: $51.29 (union)Dolores: —Douglas: $51.29 (union)Eagle: —Elbert: $51.29 (union)El Paso: $51.29 (union)Fremont: —Garfield: —Gilpin: $51.29 (union)Grand: —Gunnison: —Hinsdale: —Huerfano: —Jackson: —Jefferson: $51.29 (union)Kiowa: —Kit Carson: —Lake: —La Plata: —Larimer: $51.29 (union)Las Animas: —Lincoln: —Logan: —Mesa: $51.29 (union)Mineral: —Moffat: —Montezuma: —Montrose: —Morgan: —Otero: —Ouray: —Park: $51.29 (union)Phillips: —Pitkin: —Prowers: —Pueblo: $51.29 (union)Rio Blanco: —Rio Grande: —Routt: —Saguache: —San Juan: —San Miguel: —Sedgwick: —Summit: —Teller: $51.29 (union)Washington: —Weld: $51.29 (union)Yuma: —Union / 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)$30$35$40$45$50$55/hrWeld (Greeley): market median $35.26, prevailing (union) $51.29, gap +$16.03Weld (Greeley)+$16.03Boulder (Colorado): market median $37.08, prevailing (union) $51.29, gap +$14.21Boulder (Colorado)+$14.21Adams (Denver): market median $37.12, prevailing (union) $51.29, gap +$14.17Adams (Denver)+$14.17
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for crane operators, metro counties in Colorado.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
AdamsUnion ENGI0009-017 2024-05-01$36.09$15.20$51.29CO20260015
ArapahoeUnion ENGI0009-017 2024-05-01$36.09$15.20$51.29CO20260016
BoulderUnion ENGI0009-017 2024-05-01$36.09$15.20$51.29CO20260017
BroomfieldUnion ENGI0009-017 2024-05-01$36.09$15.20$51.29CO20260018
Clear CreekUnion ENGI0009-017 2024-05-01$36.09$15.20$51.29CO20260019
DenverUnion ENGI0009-017 2024-05-01$36.09$15.20$51.29CO20260020
DouglasUnion ENGI0009-017 2024-05-01$36.09$15.20$51.29CO20260021
ElbertUnion ENGI0009-017 2024-05-01$36.09$15.20$51.29CO20260030
El PasoUnion ENGI0009-017 2024-05-01$36.09$15.20$51.29CO20260022
GilpinUnion ENGI0009-017 2024-05-01$36.09$15.20$51.29CO20260030
JeffersonUnion ENGI0009-017 2024-05-01$36.09$15.20$51.29CO20260023
LarimerUnion ENGI0009-017 2024-05-01$36.09$15.20$51.29CO20260024
MesaUnion ENGI0009-017 2024-05-01$36.09$15.20$51.29CO20260025
ParkUnion ENGI0009-017 2024-05-01$36.09$15.20$51.29CO20260026
PuebloUnion ENGI0009-017 2024-05-01$36.09$15.20$51.29CO20260027

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

Is construction work growing in Colorado?

191.1kConstruction jobsColorado, 2026-08
+1.5%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-20260k50k100k150k200k250k19901995200020052010201520202025191kAug 2026
Construction employment in Colorado (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
Denver County13,814$88,160$1,695
Jefferson County12,463$84,364$1,622
Adams County19,605$83,598$1,608
Arapahoe County14,058$82,624$1,589
Douglas County6,506$80,059$1,540
Eagle County2,741$77,396$1,488
Boulder County3,183$75,142$1,445
Broomfield County826$73,547$1,414
Summit County938$73,255$1,409
Grand County541$72,999$1,404
Weld County7,458$72,660$1,397
Larimer County7,322$72,635$1,397

Keep comparing

Crane operator pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Colorado

Questions this page answers

How much do crane operators make in Colorado?

The median crane operator in Colorado earned $37.08 an hour ($77,120 a year) in May 2025, 13% above the national median of $32.73. The middle half earn $31.49–$38.00; the top 10% earn more than $46.86.

Where does Colorado rank for crane operator pay?

Colorado ranks 17th of 50 states for crane operator pay, with a median of $37.08 an hour, and 20th after adjusting for Colorado's cost of living (BEA price parity 103.1, US = 100).

What is the union crane operator rate in Colorado?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for crane operators in 17 counties, with a typical package of $51.29 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many crane operators work in Colorado?

BLS counted 470 crane and tower operators in Colorado in May 2025, 0.2 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.59; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

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