Skilled Wages

Crane operator salary in Illinois

Median $29.72 an hour for 1,220 crane and tower operators, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$29.72/hrMedian hourly wageIllinois, May data
$61,820/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$19.94 – $63.1210th to 90th percentilehourly range
1,220Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Crane operator pay in Illinois: the full range

Wage percentiles, IllinoisMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$0$20$40$60$80/hrIllinois: 10th $19.94 · 25th $22.20 · median $29.72 · 75th $39.92 · 90th $63.12Illinois$29.72$19.94$63.12United 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: Illinois vs United States, May 2025.

Illinois ranks 37th of 50 states for median crane operator pay, and 44th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $29.72). 1,220 crane and tower operators work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$19.94 – $22.20$41,470 – $46,170roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$22.20 – $39.92$46,170 – $83,030the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$39.92 – $63.12$83,030 – $131,280the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Crane operator pay by metro in Illinois

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30$40/hrDavenport: $33.30Davenport$33.30Paducah: $30.32Paducah$30.32Chicago: $26.87Chicago$26.87Rockford: $23.75Rockford$23.75St. Louis: $22.20St. Louis$22.20
Median hourly wage for crane and tower operators by metro area in Illinois, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
Davenport$18.75$33.30$57.2611012% above
Paducah$21.99$30.32$40.12302% above
Chicago$19.37$26.87$51.811,88010% below
Rockford$18.31$23.75$37.284020% below
St. Louis$19.70$22.20$45.9732025% below

Crane operator wages in Illinois over time

Illinois, 1999-2025IllinoisUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$20$30$40200020052010201520202025$32.73United States$29.72Illinois
Median hourly wage for crane and tower operators, Illinois vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearIllinois $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$14.82$28.64$15.292,490
2000$16.82$31.45$15.892,230
2001$17.38$31.59$16.641,850
2002$17.21$30.80$17.471,700
2003$17.12$29.95$17.861,700
2004$21.17$36.08$17.991,490
2005$22.43$36.97$18.691,710
2006$24.62$39.32$18.771,660
2007$20.47$31.78$19.361,620
2008$21.12$31.58$20.131,580
2009$26.17$39.27$21.221,520
2010$30.22$44.62$22.231,050
2011$27.88$39.90$22.341,070
2012$28.56$40.05$22.731,160
2013$29.45$40.70$23.381,170
2014$27.27$37.09$24.391,340
2015$19.03$25.85$24.831,610
2016$18.61$24.96$25.081,610
2017$22.04$28.95$25.101,930
2018$23.11$29.63$26.031,730
2019$24.48$30.83$27.261,480
2020$22.47$27.95$28.711,190
2021$24.52$29.13$29.92980
2022$23.58$25.94$29.49800
2023$28.28$29.88$31.10980
2024$25.60$26.27$31.911,100
2025$29.72$29.72$32.731,220

In today's dollars, the median crane operator wage in Illinois changed by +15.0% over the last ten years of data.

Union scale and prevailing wage for crane operators in Illinois

On federally funded construction in Illinois, contractors must pay crane operators at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 89 of the 89 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $80.20 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical —). The market median for the state is $29.72.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, ILAdams: $80.20 (union)Alexander: $88.80 (union)Bond: $80.20 (union)Boone: $80.20 (union)Brown: $80.20 (union)Bureau: $80.20 (union)Calhoun: $80.20 (union)Carroll: $80.20 (union)Cass: $80.20 (union)Champaign: $88.80 (union)Christian: $88.80 (union)Clark: $88.80 (union)Clay: $88.80 (union)Clinton: $80.20 (union)Coles: $88.80 (union)Cook: —Crawford: $88.80 (union)Cumberland: $88.80 (union)DeKalb: $80.20 (union)De Witt: $88.80 (union)Douglas: $88.80 (union)DuPage: —Edgar: $88.80 (union)Edwards: $88.80 (union)Effingham: $88.80 (union)Fayette: $88.80 (union)Ford: $88.80 (union)Franklin: $88.80 (union)Fulton: $80.20 (union)Gallatin: $88.80 (union)Greene: $80.20 (union)Grundy: —Hamilton: $88.80 (union)Hancock: $80.20 (union)Hardin: $88.80 (union)Henderson: $80.20 (union)Henry: $80.20 (union)Iroquois: $88.80 (union)Jackson: $88.80 (union)Jasper: $88.80 (union)Jefferson: $88.80 (union)Jersey: $80.20 (union)Jo Daviess: $80.20 (union)Johnson: $88.80 (union)Kane: —Kankakee: —Kendall: —Knox: $80.20 (union)Lake: —LaSalle: $80.20 (union)Lawrence: $88.80 (union)Lee: $80.20 (union)Livingston: $80.20 (union)Logan: $80.20 (union)McDonough: $80.20 (union)McHenry: —McLean: $80.20 (union)Macon: —Macoupin: $80.20 (union)Madison: $88.80 (union)Marion: $88.80 (union)Marshall: $80.20 (union)Mason: $80.20 (union)Massac: $88.80 (union)Menard: $80.20 (union)Mercer: $80.20 (union)Monroe: $80.20 (union)Montgomery: $80.20 (union)Morgan: $80.20 (union)Moultrie: $88.80 (union)Ogle: $80.20 (union)Peoria: —Perry: $88.80 (union)Piatt: $88.80 (union)Pike: $80.20 (union)Pope: $88.80 (union)Pulaski: $88.80 (union)Putnam: $80.20 (union)Randolph: $80.20 (union)Richland: $88.80 (union)Rock Island: $80.20 (union)St. Clair: $88.80 (union)Saline: $88.80 (union)Sangamon: —Schuyler: $80.20 (union)Scott: $80.20 (union)Shelby: $88.80 (union)Stark: $80.20 (union)Stephenson: $80.20 (union)Tazewell: —Union: $88.80 (union)Vermilion: $88.80 (union)Wabash: $88.80 (union)Warren: $80.20 (union)Washington: $80.20 (union)Wayne: $88.80 (union)White: $88.80 (union)Whiteside: $80.20 (union)Will: —Williamson: $88.80 (union)Winnebago: $80.20 (union)Woodford: $80.20 (union)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)$0$20$40$60$80$100/hrMadison (St. Louis): market median $22.20, prevailing (union) $88.80, gap +$66.60Madison (St. Louis)+$66.60Alexander (Illinois): market median $29.72, prevailing (union) $88.80, gap +$59.08Alexander (Illinois)+$59.08Massac (Paducah): market median $30.32, prevailing (union) $88.80, gap +$58.48Massac (Paducah)+$58.48Boone (Rockford): market median $23.75, prevailing (union) $80.20, gap +$56.45Boone (Rockford)+$56.45DeKalb (Chicago): market median $26.87, prevailing (union) $80.20, gap +$53.33DeKalb (Chicago)+$53.33Henry (Davenport): market median $33.30, prevailing (union) $80.20, gap +$46.90Henry (Davenport)+$46.90
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for crane operators, metro counties in Illinois.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
AlexanderUnion ENGI0520-011 2025-08-01$49.70$39.10$88.80IL20260002
ChampaignUnion ENGI0520-011 2025-08-01$49.70$39.10$88.80IL20260002
ChristianUnion ENGI0520-011 2025-08-01$49.70$39.10$88.80IL20260002
ClarkUnion ENGI0520-011 2025-08-01$49.70$39.10$88.80IL20260002
ClayUnion ENGI0520-011 2025-08-01$49.70$39.10$88.80IL20260002
ColesUnion ENGI0520-011 2025-08-01$49.70$39.10$88.80IL20260002
CrawfordUnion ENGI0520-011 2025-08-01$49.70$39.10$88.80IL20260002
CumberlandUnion ENGI0520-011 2025-08-01$49.70$39.10$88.80IL20260002
De WittUnion ENGI0520-011 2025-08-01$49.70$39.10$88.80IL20260002
DouglasUnion ENGI0520-011 2025-08-01$49.70$39.10$88.80IL20260002
EdgarUnion ENGI0520-011 2025-08-01$49.70$39.10$88.80IL20260002
EdwardsUnion ENGI0520-011 2025-08-01$49.70$39.10$88.80IL20260002
EffinghamUnion ENGI0520-011 2025-08-01$49.70$39.10$88.80IL20260002
FayetteUnion ENGI0520-011 2025-08-01$49.70$39.10$88.80IL20260002
FordUnion ENGI0520-011 2025-08-01$49.70$39.10$88.80IL20260002

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

Is construction work growing in Illinois?

271.6kConstruction jobsIllinois, 2026-08
+6.6%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-2026150k200k250k300k350k19901995200020052010201520202025272kAug 2026
Construction employment in Illinois (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
DuPage County22,002$102,132$1,964
Cook County49,027$97,576$1,876
Stephenson County982$96,066$1,847
Will County10,689$94,755$1,822
Saline County371$91,633$1,762
Kane County9,205$89,994$1,731
LaSalle County950$89,622$1,723
Winnebago County3,472$89,234$1,716
Lake County8,568$86,971$1,673
Grundy County759$85,203$1,639
Henry County870$84,653$1,628
Hancock County178$83,461$1,605

Keep comparing

Crane operator pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Illinois

Questions this page answers

How much do crane operators make in Illinois?

The median crane operator in Illinois earned $29.72 an hour ($61,820 a year) in May 2025, 9% below the national median of $32.73. The middle half earn $22.20–$39.92; the top 10% earn more than $63.12.

Where does Illinois rank for crane operator pay?

Illinois ranks 37th of 50 states for crane operator pay, with a median of $29.72 an hour, and 44th after adjusting for Illinois's cost of living (BEA price parity 100.0, US = 100).

What is the union crane operator rate in Illinois?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for crane operators in 89 counties, with a typical package of $80.20 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many crane operators work in Illinois?

BLS counted 1,220 crane and tower operators in Illinois in May 2025, 0.2 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.73; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

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