Skilled Wages

Crane operator salary in Louisiana

Median $29.41 an hour for 1,930 crane and tower operators, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$29.41/hrMedian hourly wageLouisiana, May data
$61,170/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$21.81 – $39.7210th to 90th percentilehourly range
1,930Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Crane operator pay in Louisiana: the full range

Wage percentiles, LouisianaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrLouisiana: 10th $21.81 · 25th $25.05 · median $29.41 · 75th $36.51 · 90th $39.72Louisiana$29.41$21.81$39.72United 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: Louisiana vs United States, May 2025.

Louisiana ranks 39th of 50 states for median crane operator pay, and 26th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $33.34). 1,930 crane and tower operators work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$21.81 – $25.05$45,370 – $52,100roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$25.05 – $36.51$52,100 – $75,940the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$36.51 – $39.72$75,940 – $82,620the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Crane operator pay by metro in Louisiana

Ranked median wages$0$20$40$60/hrSlidell: $38.80Slidell$38.80Baton Rouge: $32.06Baton Rouge$32.06New Orleans: $31.49New Orleans$31.49Lafayette: $28.26Lafayette$28.26Houma: $27.52Houma$27.52Monroe: $26.81Monroe$26.81Shreveport: $23.11Shreveport$23.11
Median hourly wage for crane and tower operators by metro area in Louisiana, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
Slidell$25.27$38.80$39.974032% above
Baton Rouge$23.33$32.06$40.375609% above
New Orleans$23.58$31.49$40.464207% above
Lafayette$21.29$28.26$37.201004% below
Houma$21.92$27.52$37.163006% below
Monroe$14.00$26.81$36.82409% below
Shreveport$17.37$23.11$38.0612021% below

Crane operator wages in Louisiana over time

Louisiana, 1999-2025LouisianaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$20$30$40200020052010201520202025$32.73United States$29.41Louisiana
Median hourly wage for crane and tower operators, Louisiana vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearLouisiana $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$13.99$27.03$15.292,730
2000$13.95$26.08$15.892,320
2001$15.21$27.65$16.642,220
2002$15.97$28.58$17.472,190
2003$15.82$27.68$17.861,860
2004$16.14$27.51$17.992,230
2005$16.24$26.77$18.692,150
2006$16.86$26.92$18.771,860
2007$19.01$29.52$19.362,080
2008$19.18$28.68$20.132,290
2009$19.81$29.73$21.222,430
2010$19.46$28.73$22.232,740
2011$20.35$29.13$22.343,060
2012$21.53$30.19$22.734,640
2013$22.95$31.72$23.383,980
2014$22.15$30.12$24.394,360
2015$22.31$30.30$24.833,350
2016$21.82$29.27$25.083,110
2017$23.34$30.65$25.103,010
2018$23.81$30.53$26.032,890
2019$26.33$33.16$27.262,600
2020$28.06$34.90$28.711,890
2021$25.68$30.51$29.922,090
2022$29.83$32.82$29.491,810
2023$30.47$32.19$31.101,740
2024$29.39$30.16$31.911,750
2025$29.41$29.41$32.731,930

In today's dollars, the median crane operator wage in Louisiana changed by -2.9% over the last ten years of data.

Union scale and prevailing wage for crane operators in Louisiana

On federally funded construction in Louisiana, contractors must pay crane operators at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 35 of the 35 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $31.81 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical —). The market median for the state is $29.41.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, LAAcadia: $31.81 (union)Allen: —Ascension: $31.81 (union)Assumption: —Avoyelles: —Beauregard: —Bienville: —Bossier: $31.81 (union)Caddo: $31.81 (union)Calcasieu: $31.81 (union)Caldwell: —Cameron: $31.81 (union)Catahoula: —Claiborne: —Concordia: —De Soto: $31.81 (union)East Baton Rouge: $31.81 (union)East Carroll: —East Feliciana: $31.81 (union)Evangeline: —Franklin: —Grant: $31.81 (union)Iberia: $31.81 (union)Iberville: $31.81 (union)Jackson: —Jefferson: $31.81 (union)Jefferson Davis: —Lafayette: $31.81 (union)Lafourche: $31.81 (union)LaSalle: —Lincoln: —Livingston: $31.81 (union)Madison: —Morehouse: —Natchitoches: —Orleans: $31.81 (union)Ouachita: $31.81 (union)Plaquemines: $31.81 (union)Pointe Coupee: $31.81 (union)Rapides: $31.81 (union)Red River: —Richland: —Sabine: —St. Bernard: $31.81 (union)St. Charles: $31.81 (union)St. Helena: $31.81 (union)St. James: $31.81 (union)St. John the Baptist: $31.81 (union)St. Landry: —St. Martin: $31.81 (union)St. Mary: —St. Tammany: $31.81 (union)Tangipahoa: $31.81 (union)Tensas: —Terrebonne: $31.81 (union)Union: $31.81 (union)Vermilion: $31.81 (union)Vernon: —Washington: —Webster: $31.81 (union)West Baton Rouge: $31.81 (union)West Carroll: —West Feliciana: $31.81 (union)Winn: —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$25$30$35$40$45/hrBossier (Shreveport): market median $23.11, prevailing (union) $31.81, gap +$8.70Bossier (Shreveport)+$8.70Ouachita (Monroe): market median $26.81, prevailing (union) $31.81, gap +$5.00Ouachita (Monroe)+$5.00Lafourche (Houma): market median $27.52, prevailing (union) $31.81, gap +$4.29Lafourche (Houma)+$4.29Acadia (Lafayette): market median $28.26, prevailing (union) $31.81, gap +$3.55Acadia (Lafayette)+$3.55Calcasieu (Louisiana): market median $29.41, prevailing (union) $31.81, gap +$2.40Calcasieu (Louisiana)+$2.40Jefferson (New Orleans): market median $31.49, prevailing (union) $31.81, gap +$0.32Jefferson (New Orleans)+$0.32Ascension (Baton Rouge): market median $32.06, prevailing (union) $31.81, gap −$0.25Ascension (Baton Rouge)−$0.25St. Tammany (Slidell): market median $38.80, prevailing (union) $31.81, gap −$6.99St. Tammany (Slidell)−$6.99
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for crane operators, metro counties in Louisiana.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
AcadiaUnion ENGI0406-002 2014-07-01$23.46$8.35$31.81LA20260029
AscensionUnion ENGI0406-002 2014-07-01$23.46$8.35$31.81LA20260049
BossierUnion ENGI0406-002 2014-07-01$23.46$8.35$31.81LA20260030
CaddoUnion ENGI0406-002 2014-07-01$23.46$8.35$31.81LA20260031
CalcasieuUnion ENGI0406-002 2014-07-01$23.46$8.35$31.81LA20260032
CameronUnion ENGI0406-002 2014-07-01$23.46$8.35$31.81LA20260033
De SotoUnion ENGI0406-002 2014-07-01$23.46$8.35$31.81LA20260034
East Baton RougeUnion ENGI0406-002 2014-07-01$23.46$8.35$31.81LA20260035
East FelicianaUnion ENGI0406-002 2014-07-01$23.46$8.35$31.81LA20260050
GrantUnion ENGI0406-002 2014-07-01$23.46$8.35$31.81LA20260051
IberiaUnion ENGI0406-002 2014-07-01$23.46$8.35$31.81LA20260036
IbervilleUnion ENGI0406-002 2014-07-01$23.46$8.35$31.81LA20260037
JeffersonUnion ENGI0406-002 2014-07-01$23.46$8.35$31.81LA20260038
LafayetteUnion ENGI0406-002 2014-07-01$23.46$8.35$31.81LA20260039
LafourcheUnion ENGI0406-002 2014-07-01$23.46$8.35$31.81LA20260040

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

Is construction work growing in Louisiana?

152.6kConstruction jobsLouisiana, 2026-08
+12.6%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-202680k100k120k140k160k180k19901995200020052010201520202025153kAug 2026
Construction employment in Louisiana (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
Orleans Parish1,940$129,981$2,500
Plaquemines Parish1,000$122,438$2,355
Iberville Parish527$82,977$1,596
West Baton Rouge Parish1,740$81,977$1,576
St. Bernard Parish527$81,535$1,568
Richland Parish251$81,506$1,567
East Baton Rouge Parish10,058$80,106$1,540
St. John the Baptist Parish792$77,555$1,491
St. Charles Parish1,574$75,983$1,461
Grant Parish171$75,937$1,460
St. Mary Parish567$73,867$1,421
Ascension Parish4,057$73,040$1,405

Keep comparing

Crane operator pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Louisiana

Questions this page answers

How much do crane operators make in Louisiana?

The median crane operator in Louisiana earned $29.41 an hour ($61,170 a year) in May 2025, 10% below the national median of $32.73. The middle half earn $25.05–$36.51; the top 10% earn more than $39.72.

Where does Louisiana rank for crane operator pay?

Louisiana ranks 39th of 50 states for crane operator pay, with a median of $29.41 an hour, and 26th after adjusting for Louisiana's cost of living (BEA price parity 88.2, US = 100).

What is the union crane operator rate in Louisiana?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for crane operators in 35 counties, with a typical package of $31.81 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many crane operators work in Louisiana?

BLS counted 1,930 crane and tower operators in Louisiana in May 2025, 1.0 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 3.61; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

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