Skilled Wages

Crane operator salary in Florida

Median $34.40 an hour for 2,570 crane and tower operators, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$34.40/hrMedian hourly wageFlorida, May data
$71,560/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$23.00 – $45.2710th to 90th percentilehourly range
2,570Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Crane operator pay in Florida: the full range

Wage percentiles, FloridaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrFlorida: 10th $23.00 · 25th $28.34 · median $34.40 · 75th $39.00 · 90th $45.27Florida$34.40$23.00$45.27United 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: Florida vs United States, May 2025.

Florida ranks 21st of 50 states for median crane operator pay, and 27th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $33.27). 2,570 crane and tower operators work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$23.00 – $28.34$47,840 – $58,950roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$28.34 – $39.00$58,950 – $81,120the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$39.00 – $45.27$81,120 – $94,170the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Crane operator pay by metro in Florida

Ranked median wages$0$20$40$60/hrNaples: $39.08Naples$39.08Miami: $37.55Miami$37.55Tampa: $37.22Tampa$37.22Palm Bay: $37.02Palm Bay$37.02Cape Coral: $36.79Cape Coral$36.79Orlando: $35.04Orlando$35.04Panama City: $31.17Panama City$31.17Jacksonville: $31.06Jacksonville$31.06Sarasota: $30.66Sarasota$30.66Tallahassee: $29.35Tallahassee$29.35Lakeland: $28.85Lakeland$28.85
Median hourly wage for crane and tower operators by metro area in Florida, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
Naples$26.63$39.08$40.685014% above
Miami$25.42$37.55$48.225309% above
Tampa$24.86$37.22$45.933708% above
Palm Bay$28.42$37.02$39.401608% above
Cape Coral$24.60$36.79$42.361907% above
Orlando$24.25$35.04$41.763002% above
Panama City$24.18$31.17$47.28509% below
Jacksonville$20.40$31.06$45.5134010% below
Sarasota$24.94$30.66$46.7410011% below
Tallahassee$23.00$29.35$39.125015% below
Lakeland$21.90$28.85$38.548016% below

Crane operator wages in Florida over time

Florida, 1999-2025FloridaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$20$30$40200020052010201520202025$34.40Florida$32.73United States
Median hourly wage for crane and tower operators, Florida vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearFlorida $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$15.32$29.60$15.292,540
2000$13.63$25.48$15.892,610
2001$15.77$28.67$16.642,530
2002$17.62$31.53$17.472,740
2003$18.22$31.88$17.862,680
2004$20.41$34.78$17.992,860
2005$18.85$31.07$18.693,050
2006$19.13$30.55$18.773,260
2007$20.32$31.55$19.363,160
2008$20.13$30.10$20.132,600
2009$19.82$29.74$21.222,430
2010$19.32$28.52$22.232,610
2011$19.88$28.45$22.342,520
2012$22.68$31.80$22.731,550
2013$22.12$30.57$23.381,630
2014$23.68$32.20$24.392,150
2015$24.07$32.69$24.832,340
2016$24.67$33.09$25.082,210
2017$23.34$30.65$25.102,390
2018$26.78$34.33$26.032,560
2019$27.86$35.08$27.262,810
2020$30.39$37.80$28.712,670
2021$30.47$36.20$29.923,100
2022$32.63$35.90$29.492,100
2023$31.26$33.03$31.102,270
2024$33.72$34.61$31.912,460
2025$34.40$34.40$32.732,570

In today's dollars, the median crane operator wage in Florida changed by +5.2% over the last ten years of data.

Union scale and prevailing wage for crane operators in Florida

On federally funded construction in Florida, contractors must pay crane operators at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 67 of the 67 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $51.10 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical —). The market median for the state is $34.40.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, FLAlachua: $41.25 (union)Baker: $41.25 (union)Bay: $41.25 (union)Bradford: $49.01 (union)Brevard: $51.10 (union)Broward: $54.28 (union)Calhoun: $44.80 (union)Charlotte: $54.28 (union)Citrus: $53.86 (union)Clay: $41.25 (union)Collier: $54.28 (union)Columbia: $49.01 (union)DeSoto: $53.86 (union)Dixie: $53.86 (union)Duval: $41.25 (union)Escambia: $41.25 (union)Flagler: $51.10 (union)Franklin: $49.01 (union)Gadsden: $41.25 (union)Gilchrist: $53.86 (union)Glades: $54.28 (union)Gulf: $41.25 (union)Hamilton: $49.01 (union)Hardee: $53.86 (union)Hendry: $54.28 (union)Hernando: $53.86 (union)Highlands: $54.28 (union)Hillsborough: $53.86 (union)Holmes: $44.80 (union)Indian River: $54.28 (union)Jackson: $44.80 (union)Jefferson: $41.25 (union)Lafayette: $49.01 (union)Lake: $53.86 (union)Lee: $54.28 (union)Leon: $41.25 (union)Levy: $53.86 (union)Liberty: $49.01 (union)Madison: $49.01 (union)Manatee: $53.86 (union)Marion: $53.86 (union)Martin: $54.28 (union)Miami-Dade: $54.28 (union)Monroe: $54.28 (union)Nassau: $41.25 (union)Okaloosa: $41.25 (union)Okeechobee: $54.28 (union)Orange: $51.10 (union)Osceola: $53.86 (union)Palm Beach: $54.28 (union)Pasco: $53.86 (union)Pinellas: $53.86 (union)Polk: $53.86 (union)Putnam: $49.01 (union)St. Johns: $41.25 (union)St. Lucie: $54.28 (union)Santa Rosa: $41.25 (union)Sarasota: $53.86 (union)Seminole: $51.10 (union)Sumter: $53.86 (union)Suwannee: $49.01 (union)Taylor: $49.01 (union)Union: $49.01 (union)Volusia: $51.10 (union)Wakulla: $41.25 (union)Walton: $41.25 (union)Washington: $44.80 (union)Union / prevailing package, $/hr$49.01$53.86$54.20
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/hrPolk (Lakeland): market median $28.85, prevailing (union) $53.86, gap +$25.01Polk (Lakeland)+$25.01Manatee (Sarasota): market median $30.66, prevailing (union) $53.86, gap +$23.20Manatee (Sarasota)+$23.20Charlotte (Florida): market median $34.40, prevailing (union) $54.28, gap +$19.88Charlotte (Florida)+$19.88Lake (Orlando): market median $35.04, prevailing (union) $53.86, gap +$18.82Lake (Orlando)+$18.82Lee (Cape Coral): market median $36.79, prevailing (union) $54.28, gap +$17.49Lee (Cape Coral)+$17.49Broward (Miami): market median $37.55, prevailing (union) $54.28, gap +$16.73Broward (Miami)+$16.73Hernando (Tampa): market median $37.22, prevailing (union) $53.86, gap +$16.64Hernando (Tampa)+$16.64Collier (Naples): market median $39.08, prevailing (union) $54.28, gap +$15.20Collier (Naples)+$15.20Brevard (Palm Bay): market median $37.02, prevailing (union) $51.10, gap +$14.08Brevard (Palm Bay)+$14.08Washington (Panama City): market median $31.17, prevailing (union) $44.80, gap +$13.63Washington (Panama City)+$13.63Gadsden (Tallahassee): market median $29.35, prevailing (union) $41.25, gap +$11.90Gadsden (Tallahassee)+$11.90Baker (Jacksonville): market median $31.06, prevailing (union) $41.25, gap +$10.19Baker (Jacksonville)+$10.19
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for crane operators, metro counties in Florida.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
BrowardUnion ENGI0487-023 2023-07-01$39.38$14.90$54.28FL20260197
CharlotteUnion ENGI0487-023 2023-07-01$39.38$14.90$54.28FL20260198
CollierUnion ENGI0487-023 2023-07-01$39.38$14.90$54.28FL20260201
GladesUnion ENGI0487-023 2023-07-01$39.38$14.90$54.28FL20260012
HendryUnion ENGI0487-023 2023-07-01$39.38$14.90$54.28FL20260015
HighlandsUnion ENGI0487-023 2023-07-01$39.38$14.90$54.28FL20260207
Indian RiverUnion ENGI0487-023 2023-07-01$39.38$14.90$54.28FL20260209
LeeUnion ENGI0487-023 2023-07-01$39.38$14.90$54.28FL20260211
MartinUnion ENGI0487-023 2023-07-01$39.38$14.90$54.28FL20260214
Miami-DadeUnion ENGI0487-023 2023-07-01$39.38$14.90$54.28FL20260215
MonroeUnion ENGI0487-023 2023-07-01$39.38$14.90$54.28FL20260022
OkeechobeeUnion ENGI0487-023 2023-07-01$39.38$14.90$54.28FL20260023
Palm BeachUnion ENGI0487-023 2023-07-01$39.38$14.90$54.28FL20260220
St. LucieUnion ENGI0487-023 2023-07-01$39.38$14.90$54.28FL20260228
CitrusUnion ENGI0487-030 2023-06-01$37.01$16.85$53.86FL20260199

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

Is construction work growing in Florida?

657.5kConstruction jobsFlorida, 2026-08
+0.3%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-2026200k400k600k800k19901995200020052010201520202025658kAug 2026
Construction employment in Florida (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
Sumter County2,868$80,029$1,539
Bradford County300$75,025$1,443
Jackson County609$71,388$1,373
Duval County25,743$71,254$1,370
Hillsborough County31,923$70,532$1,356
Broward County35,823$69,666$1,340
Orange County30,220$69,524$1,337
Seminole County16,632$69,453$1,336
Palm Beach County28,358$67,115$1,291
Escambia County6,304$66,187$1,273
Pinellas County19,206$66,044$1,270
Sarasota County13,342$65,544$1,260

Keep comparing

Crane operator pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Florida

Questions this page answers

How much do crane operators make in Florida?

The median crane operator in Florida earned $34.40 an hour ($71,560 a year) in May 2025, 5% above the national median of $32.73. The middle half earn $28.34–$39.00; the top 10% earn more than $45.27.

Where does Florida rank for crane operator pay?

Florida ranks 21st of 50 states for crane operator pay, with a median of $34.40 an hour, and 27th after adjusting for Florida's cost of living (BEA price parity 103.4, US = 100).

What is the union crane operator rate in Florida?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for crane operators in 67 counties, with a typical package of $51.10 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many crane operators work in Florida?

BLS counted 2,570 crane and tower operators in Florida in May 2025, 0.3 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.94; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

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