Skilled Wages

Crane operator salary in Kentucky

Median $29.81 an hour for 640 crane operators, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 1999 and the state's own outlook.

$29.81/hrMedian hourly wageKentucky, May data
$62,000/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$19.62 – $43.1110th to 90th percentilehourly range
640Jobs countedemployer survey

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025; prevailing wage as of 2026-11-06

Crane operator pay in Kentucky: the full range

Wage percentiles, KentuckyMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrKentucky: 10th $19.62 · 25th $22.03 · median $29.81 · 75th $38.48 · 90th $43.11Kentucky$29.81$19.62$43.11United States: 10th $20.50 · 25th $25.29 · median $32.73 · 75th $40.00 · 90th $49.79United States$32.73
Hourly wage percentiles for crane operators: Kentucky vs United States, May 2025.

Kentucky ranks 36th of 50 states for median crane operator pay, and 28th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $33.05). 640 crane operators work in the state. The top 10% earn 2.2× what the bottom 10% earn.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$19.62 – $22.03$40,810 – $45,830roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$22.03 – $38.48$45,830 – $80,040the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$38.48 – $43.11$80,040 – $89,660the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Crane operator pay by metro in Kentucky

Ranked median wages$0$20$40$60/hrLouisville: $38.87Louisville$38.87Lexington: $35.64Lexington$35.64Paducah: $30.32Paducah$30.32Huntington: $27.30Huntington$27.30Cincinnati: $26.44Cincinnati$26.44
Median hourly wage for crane operators by metro area in Kentucky, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hrCost-of-living adjusted90thJobsvs state
Louisville$18.66$38.87$41.75$44.5217030% above
Lexington$24.44$35.64$38.36$42.625020% above
Paducah$21.99$30.32$35.21$40.12302% above
Huntington$18.09$27.30$30.88$38.44808% below
Cincinnati$19.71$26.44$27.71$49.6821011% below

Cost-of-living adjusted: median divided by the BEA regional price parity for the metro (2024, US = 100).

Crane operator wages in Kentucky over time

Kentucky, 1999-2025KentuckyUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$20$30$40200020052010201520202025$32.73United States$29.81Kentucky
Median hourly wage for crane operators, Kentucky vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearKentucky $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$15.67$30.28$15.29710
2000$16.31$30.49$15.89810
2001$15.59$28.34$16.64710
2002$16.44$29.42$17.47830
2003$15.49$27.10$17.861,030
2004$15.97$27.22$17.99940
2005$16.53$27.25$18.69870
2006$18.53$29.59$18.77890
2007$16.84$26.15$19.36990
2008$17.52$26.20$20.13790
2009$17.57$26.37$21.22750
2010$18.15$26.80$22.23700
2011$18.59$26.61$22.34770
2012$19.64$27.54$22.73680
2013$20.23$27.96$23.38640
2014$22.13$30.10$24.39640
2015$22.88$31.08$24.83730
2016$24.96$33.48$25.08720
2017$21.85$28.70$25.10670
2018$23.53$30.17$26.03770
2019$21.96$27.65$27.26810
2020$23.14$28.78$28.71640
2021$23.84$28.32$29.92580
2022$23.00$25.30$29.49620
2023$22.88$24.17$31.10670
2024$26.49$27.19$31.91770
2025$29.81$29.81$32.73640

In today's dollars, the median crane operator wage in Kentucky changed by -4.1% over the last ten years of data and by +7.8% since 2019.

Are there more crane operator jobs in Kentucky?

0.3Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 1.2× the US share, 17th of 47 states

BLS counted 640 crane operators in Kentucky in May 2025, an estimate with a relative standard error of 16%. With fewer than 3,000 jobs or a wide margin of error, year-to-year changes are within the survey's noise and are not shown as a trend.

Outlook for crane operators in Kentucky

+3.3%Projected growth in Kentucky2024–2034, state agency
70Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
770Jobs in 2024790 projected for 2034
+3.8%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

Kentucky's labor market agency projects the number of crane operators in the state to change by +3.3% between 2024 and 2034, from 770 to 790, with about 70 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects +3.8% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed, so the base is larger than the 640 counted by the BLS employer survey.

Source: Kentucky labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034 long-term projections (state projections page).

Union scale and prevailing wage for crane operators in Kentucky

On federally funded construction in Kentucky, contractors must pay crane operators at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 120 of the 120 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $61.58 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical —). The market median for the state is $29.81.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, KYAdair: $61.58 (union)Allen: $60.25 (union)Anderson: $61.58 (union)Ballard: $61.58 (union)Barren: $61.58 (union)Bath: $61.58 (union)Bell: $61.58 (union)Boone: $61.58 (union)Bourbon: $61.58 (union)Boyd: $61.58 (union)Boyle: $61.58 (union)Bracken: $61.58 (union)Breathitt: $61.58 (union)Breckinridge: $61.58 (union)Bullitt: $60.25 (union)Butler: $60.25 (union)Caldwell: $61.58 (union)Calloway: $61.58 (union)Campbell: $61.58 (union)Carlisle: $61.58 (union)Carroll: $61.58 (union)Carter: $61.58 (union)Casey: $61.58 (union)Christian: $60.25 (union)Clark: $61.58 (union)Clay: $61.58 (union)Clinton: $61.58 (union)Crittenden: $61.58 (union)Cumberland: $61.58 (union)Daviess: $60.25 (union)Edmonson: $60.25 (union)Elliott: $61.58 (union)Estill: $61.58 (union)Fayette: $61.58 (union)Fleming: $61.58 (union)Floyd: $61.58 (union)Franklin: $61.58 (union)Fulton: $61.58 (union)Gallatin: $61.58 (union)Garrard: $61.58 (union)Grant: $61.58 (union)Graves: $61.58 (union)Grayson: $61.58 (union)Green: $61.58 (union)Greenup: $61.58 (union)Hancock: $60.25 (union)Hardin: $60.25 (union)Harlan: $61.58 (union)Harrison: $61.58 (union)Hart: $61.58 (union)Henderson: $60.25 (union)Henry: $60.25 (union)Hickman: $61.58 (union)Hopkins: $61.58 (union)Jackson: $61.58 (union)Jefferson: $60.25 (union)Jessamine: $61.58 (union)Johnson: $61.58 (union)Kenton: $61.58 (union)Knott: $61.58 (union)Knox: $61.58 (union)Larue: $60.25 (union)Laurel: $61.58 (union)Lawrence: $61.58 (union)Lee: $61.58 (union)Leslie: $61.58 (union)Letcher: $61.58 (union)Lewis: $61.58 (union)Lincoln: $61.58 (union)Livingston: $61.58 (union)Logan: $61.58 (union)Lyon: $61.58 (union)McCracken: $61.58 (union)McCreary: $61.58 (union)McLean: $60.25 (union)Madison: $61.58 (union)Magoffin: $61.58 (union)Marion: $61.58 (union)Marshall: $61.58 (union)Martin: $61.58 (union)Mason: $61.58 (union)Meade: $60.25 (union)Menifee: $61.58 (union)Mercer: $61.58 (union)Metcalfe: $61.58 (union)Monroe: $61.58 (union)Montgomery: $61.58 (union)Morgan: $61.58 (union)Muhlenberg: $61.58 (union)Nelson: $60.25 (union)Nicholas: $61.58 (union)Ohio: $61.58 (union)Oldham: $60.25 (union)Owen: $61.58 (union)Owsley: $61.58 (union)Pendleton: $61.58 (union)Perry: $61.58 (union)Pike: $61.58 (union)Powell: $61.58 (union)Pulaski: $61.58 (union)Robertson: $61.58 (union)Rockcastle: $61.58 (union)Rowan: $61.58 (union)Russell: $61.58 (union)Scott: $61.58 (union)Shelby: $60.25 (union)Simpson: $61.58 (union)Spencer: $60.25 (union)Taylor: $61.58 (union)Todd: $61.58 (union)Trigg: $60.25 (union)Trimble: $60.25 (union)Union: $61.58 (union)Warren: $60.25 (union)Washington: $61.58 (union)Wayne: $61.58 (union)Webster: $60.25 (union)Whitley: $61.58 (union)Wolfe: $61.58 (union)Woodford: $61.58 (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$40$60$80/hrBoone (Cincinnati): market median $26.44, prevailing (union) $61.58, gap +$35.14Boone (Cincinnati)+$35.14Boyd (Huntington): market median $27.30, prevailing (union) $61.58, gap +$34.28Boyd (Huntington)+$34.28Ballard (Paducah): market median $30.32, prevailing (union) $61.58, gap +$31.26Ballard (Paducah)+$31.26Allen (Kentucky): market median $29.81, prevailing (union) $60.25, gap +$30.44Allen (Kentucky)+$30.44Bourbon (Lexington): market median $35.64, prevailing (union) $61.58, gap +$25.94Bourbon (Lexington)+$25.94Bullitt (Louisville): market median $38.87, prevailing (union) $60.25, gap +$21.38Bullitt (Louisville)+$21.38
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for crane operators, metro counties in Kentucky.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
AdairUnion ENGI0181-085 2025-06-01$41.98$19.60$61.58KY20260037
AndersonUnion ENGI0181-085 2025-06-01$41.98$19.60$61.58KY20260018
BallardUnion ENGI0181-087 2025-06-01$41.98$19.60$61.58KY20260041
BarrenUnion ENGI0181-085 2025-06-01$41.98$19.60$61.58KY20260042
BathUnion ENGI0181-085 2025-06-01$41.98$19.60$61.58KY20260018
BellUnion ENGI0181-090 2025-06-01$41.98$19.60$61.58KY20260019
BooneUnion ENGI0181-090 2025-06-01$41.98$19.60$61.58KY20260044
BourbonUnion ENGI0181-085 2025-06-01$41.98$19.60$61.58KY20260100
BoydUnion ENGI0181-090 2025-06-01$41.98$19.60$61.58KY20260101
BoyleUnion ENGI0181-085 2025-06-01$41.98$19.60$61.58KY20260018
BrackenUnion ENGI0181-090 2025-06-01$41.98$19.60$61.58KY20260102
BreathittUnion ENGI0181-090 2025-06-01$41.98$19.60$61.58KY20260043
BreckinridgeUnion ENGI0181-087 2025-06-01$41.98$19.60$61.58KY20260041
CaldwellUnion ENGI0181-087 2025-06-01$41.98$19.60$61.58KY20260041
CallowayUnion ENGI0181-087 2025-06-01$41.98$19.60$61.58KY20260020

Building construction type, current revisions as of 2026-11-06. Residential, Heavy and Highway rates differ; look them up on the Kentucky prevailing wage page. This is not the official wage determination.

Is construction work growing in Kentucky?

95.6kConstruction jobsKentucky, 2026-09
+0.1%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-202640k60k80k100k120k1990199520002005201020152020202596kSep 2026
Construction employment in Kentucky (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. Across the 92 counties that report both years, specialty trade contractor employment (all trades) went from 43,567 in 2015 to 56,410 in 2025, +29.5%.

CountyEstablishmentsEmployeesAverage annual payAvg weekly wage
Monroe County1879$89,609$1,723
Laurel County73602$85,874$1,651
Boyd County84930$84,083$1,617
Owen County1031$80,473$1,548
Grant County42269$80,397$1,546
Harrison County2865$80,322$1,545
Mason County28366$80,276$1,544
Henderson County84824$80,139$1,541
Hancock County16128$79,869$1,536
Jefferson County1,33815,635$79,698$1,533
Webster County21432$78,159$1,503
Garrard County59381$77,840$1,497

Keep comparing

Crane operator pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Kentucky

More on Kentucky

Questions this page answers

How much do crane operators make in Kentucky?

The median crane operator in Kentucky earned $29.81 an hour ($62,000 a year) in May 2025, 9% below the national median of $32.73. The middle half earn $22.03–$38.48; the top 10% earn more than $43.11.

Where does Kentucky rank for crane operator pay?

Kentucky ranks 36th of 50 states for crane operator pay, with a median of $29.81 an hour, and 28th after adjusting for Kentucky's cost of living (BEA price parity 90.2, US = 100).

What is the union crane operator rate in Kentucky?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for crane operators in 120 counties, with a typical package of $61.58 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many crane operators work in Kentucky?

BLS counted 640 crane operators in Kentucky in May 2025, 0.3 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 1.17; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is crane operator work growing in Kentucky?

Kentucky's labor market agency projects +3.3% growth for crane operators between 2024 and 2034, from 770 to 790 jobs.

How many crane operator openings a year are there in Kentucky?

Kentucky projects about 70 openings a year for crane operators over 2024–2034, counting both new positions and replacements for people who retire or change occupation. Nationally BLS projects about 3,500 a year.

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Kentucky and metro areas, SOC 53-7021. Job counts are survey estimates and exclude the self-employed.
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics, state construction employment through 2026-09.
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.
  • BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (cost-of-living adjustment).
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions as of 2026-11-06. Not the official determination.
  • BLS Employment Projections, national, 2025-35.
  • State projection: Kentucky labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.