Skilled Wages

Crane operator salary in Indiana

Median $25.46 an hour for 2,300 crane and tower operators, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$25.46/hrMedian hourly wageIndiana, May data
$52,950/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$18.67 – $42.1310th to 90th percentilehourly range
2,300Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Crane operator pay in Indiana: the full range

Wage percentiles, IndianaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrIndiana: 10th $18.67 · 25th $19.45 · median $25.46 · 75th $31.76 · 90th $42.13Indiana$25.46$18.67$42.13United 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: Indiana vs United States, May 2025.

Indiana ranks 48th of 50 states for median crane operator pay, and 48th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $27.29). 2,300 crane and tower operators work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$18.67 – $19.45$38,830 – $40,450roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$19.45 – $31.76$40,450 – $66,070the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$31.76 – $42.13$66,070 – $87,640the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Crane operator pay by metro in Indiana

Ranked median wages$0$20$40$60/hrLouisville: $38.87Louisville$38.87Indianapolis: $34.62Indianapolis$34.62Evansville: $30.82Evansville$30.82Chicago: $26.87Chicago$26.87Cincinnati: $26.44Cincinnati$26.44Elkhart: $24.30Elkhart$24.30South Bend: $23.77South Bend$23.77
Median hourly wage for crane and tower operators by metro area in Indiana, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
Louisville$18.66$38.87$44.5217053% above
Indianapolis$19.17$34.62$47.4634036% above
Evansville$22.91$30.82$46.549021% above
Chicago$19.37$26.87$51.811,8806% above
Cincinnati$19.71$26.44$49.682104% above
Elkhart$20.92$24.30$46.70405% below
South Bend$19.32$23.77$41.08407% below

Crane operator wages in Indiana over time

Indiana, 1999-2025IndianaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$20$30$40200020052010201520202025$32.73United States$25.46Indiana
Median hourly wage for crane and tower operators, Indiana vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearIndiana $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$16.84$32.54$15.294,340
2000$16.25$30.38$15.893,840
2001$18.00$32.72$16.643,260
2002$18.95$33.91$17.472,760
2003$19.47$34.07$17.862,770
2004$17.06$29.08$17.992,550
2005$17.49$28.83$18.692,490
2006$17.59$28.09$18.772,430
2007$18.73$29.08$19.362,690
2008$19.57$29.26$20.132,410
2009$19.94$29.92$21.222,220
2010$23.73$35.04$22.231,660
2011$25.65$36.71$22.341,980
2012$26.34$36.93$22.732,210
2013$26.43$36.53$23.381,990
2014$29.05$39.51$24.391,610
2015$28.68$38.96$24.831,700
2016$24.04$32.25$25.081,830
2017$24.39$32.03$25.101,950
2018$25.57$32.78$26.032,080
2019$27.50$34.63$27.261,760
2020$26.80$33.34$28.711,400
2021$26.08$30.99$29.922,120
2022$23.59$25.95$29.491,600
2023$27.65$29.21$31.101,840
2024$27.83$28.56$31.911,600
2025$25.46$25.46$32.732,300

In today's dollars, the median crane operator wage in Indiana changed by -34.6% over the last ten years of data.

Union scale and prevailing wage for crane operators in Indiana

On federally funded construction in Indiana, contractors must pay crane operators at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 49 of the 49 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $56.90 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical —). The market median for the state is $25.46.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, INAdams: $56.90 (union)Allen: $56.90 (union)Bartholomew: $56.90 (union)Benton: $56.90 (union)Blackford: $56.90 (union)Boone: $56.90 (union)Brown: —Carroll: $56.90 (union)Cass: $56.90 (union)Clark: —Clay: $56.90 (union)Clinton: $56.90 (union)Crawford: —Daviess: —Dearborn: —Decatur: —DeKalb: $56.90 (union)Delaware: $56.90 (union)Dubois: —Elkhart: —Fayette: —Floyd: —Fountain: $56.90 (union)Franklin: —Fulton: $56.90 (union)Gibson: $56.90 (union)Grant: $56.90 (union)Greene: $56.90 (union)Hamilton: $56.90 (union)Hancock: $56.90 (union)Harrison: —Hendricks: $56.90 (union)Henry: —Howard: $56.90 (union)Huntington: $56.90 (union)Jackson: —Jasper: —Jay: $56.90 (union)Jefferson: —Jennings: —Johnson: $56.90 (union)Knox: —Kosciusko: —LaGrange: —Lake: —LaPorte: —Lawrence: —Madison: $56.90 (union)Marion: $56.90 (union)Marshall: —Martin: —Miami: $56.90 (union)Monroe: $56.90 (union)Montgomery: $56.90 (union)Morgan: $56.90 (union)Newton: —Noble: $56.90 (union)Ohio: —Orange: —Owen: $56.90 (union)Parke: $56.90 (union)Perry: —Pike: —Porter: —Posey: $56.90 (union)Pulaski: —Putnam: $56.90 (union)Randolph: —Ripley: —Rush: —St. Joseph: —Scott: —Shelby: $56.90 (union)Spencer: —Starke: —Steuben: $56.90 (union)Sullivan: $56.90 (union)Switzerland: —Tippecanoe: $56.90 (union)Tipton: $56.90 (union)Union: —Vanderburgh: $56.90 (union)Vermillion: $56.90 (union)Vigo: $56.90 (union)Wabash: $56.90 (union)Warren: $56.90 (union)Warrick: $56.90 (union)Washington: —Wayne: —Wells: $56.90 (union)White: $56.90 (union)Whitley: $56.90 (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)$20$30$40$50$60/hrAllen (Indiana): market median $25.46, prevailing (union) $56.90, gap +$31.44Allen (Indiana)+$31.44Posey (Evansville): market median $30.82, prevailing (union) $56.90, gap +$26.08Posey (Evansville)+$26.08Boone (Indianapolis): market median $34.62, prevailing (union) $56.90, gap +$22.28Boone (Indianapolis)+$22.28
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for crane operators, metro counties in Indiana.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
AdamsUnion ENGI0841-008 2023-04-01$33.90$23.00$56.90IN20260002
AllenUnion ENGI0841-008 2023-04-01$33.90$23.00$56.90IN20260002
BartholomewUnion ENGI0841-008 2023-04-01$33.90$23.00$56.90IN20260002
BentonUnion ENGI0841-008 2023-04-01$33.90$23.00$56.90IN20260002
BlackfordUnion ENGI0841-008 2023-04-01$33.90$23.00$56.90IN20260002
BooneUnion ENGI0841-008 2023-04-01$33.90$23.00$56.90IN20260002
CarrollUnion ENGI0841-008 2023-04-01$33.90$23.00$56.90IN20260002
CassUnion ENGI0841-008 2023-04-01$33.90$23.00$56.90IN20260002
ClayUnion ENGI0841-001 2023-04-01$33.90$23.00$56.90IN20260003
ClintonUnion ENGI0841-008 2023-04-01$33.90$23.00$56.90IN20260002
DeKalbUnion ENGI0841-008 2023-04-01$33.90$23.00$56.90IN20260002
DelawareUnion ENGI0841-008 2023-04-01$33.90$23.00$56.90IN20260002
FountainUnion ENGI0841-008 2023-04-01$33.90$23.00$56.90IN20260002
FultonUnion ENGI0841-008 2023-04-01$33.90$23.00$56.90IN20260002
GibsonUnion ENGI0841-001 2023-04-01$33.90$23.00$56.90IN20260003

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

Is construction work growing in Indiana?

187.2kConstruction jobsIndiana, 2026-08
+2.5%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-202650k100k150k200k19901995200020052010201520202025187kAug 2026
Construction employment in Indiana (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
Randolph County577$103,389$1,988
Pike County183$97,809$1,881
Sullivan County72$94,129$1,810
Lake County8,370$91,512$1,760
Cass County554$90,794$1,746
Howard County1,262$90,498$1,740
Blackford County155$89,074$1,713
Porter County2,996$87,755$1,688
St. Joseph County4,514$84,954$1,634
Miami County422$83,813$1,612
Allen County7,733$83,778$1,611
Marion County22,916$82,454$1,586

Keep comparing

Crane operator pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Indiana

Questions this page answers

How much do crane operators make in Indiana?

The median crane operator in Indiana earned $25.46 an hour ($52,950 a year) in May 2025, 22% below the national median of $32.73. The middle half earn $19.45–$31.76; the top 10% earn more than $42.13.

Where does Indiana rank for crane operator pay?

Indiana ranks 48th of 50 states for crane operator pay, with a median of $25.46 an hour, and 48th after adjusting for Indiana's cost of living (BEA price parity 93.3, US = 100).

What is the union crane operator rate in Indiana?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for crane operators in 49 counties, with a typical package of $56.90 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many crane operators work in Indiana?

BLS counted 2,300 crane and tower operators in Indiana in May 2025, 0.7 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 2.60; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

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