Skilled Wages

Crane operator salary in Minnesota

Median $38.91 an hour for 370 crane operators, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 1999 and the state's own outlook.

$38.91/hrMedian hourly wageMinnesota, May data
$80,930/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$25.28 – $56.2010th to 90th percentilehourly range
370Jobs countedemployer survey

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025; prevailing wage as of 2026-11-13

Crane operator pay in Minnesota: the full range

Wage percentiles, MinnesotaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$0$20$40$60/hrMinnesota: 10th $25.28 · 25th $27.98 · median $38.91 · 75th $55.04 · 90th $56.20Minnesota$38.91$25.28$56.20United 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: Minnesota vs United States, May 2025.

Minnesota ranks 14th of 50 states for median crane operator pay, and 13th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $39.46). 370 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$25.28 – $27.98$52,590 – $58,210roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$27.98 – $55.04$58,210 – $114,480the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$55.04 – $56.20$114,480 – $116,890the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Crane operator pay by metro in Minnesota

Ranked median wages$0$20$40$60/hrMinneapolis: $47.86Minneapolis$47.86Fargo: $39.41Fargo$39.41Duluth: $36.17Duluth$36.17Sioux Falls: $30.75Sioux Falls$30.75St. Cloud: $27.73St. Cloud$27.73
Median hourly wage for crane operators by metro area in Minnesota, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hrCost-of-living adjusted90thJobsvs state
Minneapolis$25.69$47.86$45.67$58.0418023% above
Fargo$28.75$39.41$43.36$50.91401% above
Duluth$24.56$36.17$40.73$50.34407% below
Sioux Falls$22.47$30.75$33.94$34.807021% below
St. Cloud$17.93$27.73$31.66$51.373029% below

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

Crane operator wages in Minnesota over time

Minnesota, 1999-2025MinnesotaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$20$30$40$50200020052010201520202025$38.91Minnesota$32.73United States
Median hourly wage for crane operators, Minnesota vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearMinnesota $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$16.05$31.02$15.29640
2000$16.07$30.04$15.89590
2001$17.04$30.98$16.64620
2002$17.03$30.48$17.47750
2003$18.73$32.77$17.86690
2004$22.87$38.98$17.99660
2005$25.56$42.13$18.69650
2006$22.52$35.96$18.77510
2007$21.74$33.76$19.36600
2008$22.56$33.73$20.13480
2009$24.28$36.44$21.22450
2010$25.31$37.37$22.23410
2011$25.62$36.67$22.34650
2012$26.52$37.19$22.73880
2013$27.59$38.13$23.38960
2014$31.16$42.38$24.39910
2015$31.99$43.45$24.83940
2016$32.83$44.04$25.08950
2017$27.62$36.28$25.10620
2018$23.32$29.90$26.03480
2019$25.46$32.06$27.26460
2020$25.96$32.29$28.71540
2021$29.99$35.63$29.92280
2022$32.88$36.17$29.49200
2023$34.98$36.96$31.10170
2024$32.36$33.21$31.91170
2025$38.91$38.91$32.73370

In today's dollars, the median crane operator wage in Minnesota changed by -10.5% over the last ten years of data and by +21.4% since 2019.

Are there more crane operator jobs in Minnesota?

0.1Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 0.5× the US share, 44th of 47 states

BLS counted 370 crane operators in Minnesota in May 2025, an estimate with a relative standard error of 19%. 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 Minnesota

+0.6%Projected growth in Minnesota2024–2034, state agency
20Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
170Jobs in 2024170 projected for 2034
+3.8%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

Minnesota's labor market agency projects the number of crane operators in the state to change by +0.6% between 2024 and 2034, from 170 to 170, with about 20 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects +3.8% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed and use a different base year, so they do not match the 370 counted by the BLS employer survey.

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

Is construction work growing in Minnesota?

161.1kConstruction jobsMinnesota, 2026-09
+5.2%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-20260k50k100k150k200k19901995200020052010201520202025161kSep 2026
Construction employment in Minnesota (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 78 counties that report both years, specialty trade contractor employment (all trades) went from 70,177 in 2015 to 87,254 in 2025, +24.3%.

CountyEstablishmentsEmployeesAverage annual payAvg weekly wage
Ramsey County5399,056$106,136$2,041
Hennepin County1,56421,844$98,504$1,894
Goodhue County96777$96,065$1,847
Carlton County59440$95,378$1,834
Washington County4343,021$93,638$1,801
Dakota County7496,693$92,730$1,783
Scott County4093,459$89,101$1,713
Kanabec County38200$87,888$1,690
Anoka County8437,249$87,449$1,682
Carver County2361,779$87,233$1,678
Le Sueur County96414$85,520$1,645
Chisago County158763$85,347$1,641

Keep comparing

Crane operator pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Minnesota

More on Minnesota

Questions this page answers

How much do crane operators make in Minnesota?

The median crane operator in Minnesota earned $38.91 an hour ($80,930 a year) in May 2025, 19% above the national median of $32.73. The middle half earn $27.98–$55.04; the top 10% earn more than $56.20.

Where does Minnesota rank for crane operator pay?

Minnesota ranks 14th of 50 states for crane operator pay, with a median of $38.91 an hour, and 13th after adjusting for Minnesota's cost of living (BEA price parity 98.6, US = 100).

What is the union crane operator rate in Minnesota?

Davis-Bacon determinations do not list a crane operator classification for most Minnesota counties, or the trade is not covered; the BLS wage figures above are the best available measure.

How many crane operators work in Minnesota?

BLS counted 370 crane operators in Minnesota in May 2025, 0.1 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.45; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is crane operator work growing in Minnesota?

Minnesota's labor market agency projects +0.6% growth for crane operators between 2024 and 2034, from 170 to 170 jobs.

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

Minnesota projects about 20 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, Minnesota 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 2026-11-13. Not the official determination.
  • BLS Employment Projections, national, 2025-35.
  • State projection: Minnesota labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.