Skilled Wages

Crane operator salary in Mississippi

Median $29.45 an hour for 550 crane and tower operators, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$29.45/hrMedian hourly wageMississippi, May data
$61,260/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$16.68 – $35.5010th to 90th percentilehourly range
550Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Crane operator pay in Mississippi: the full range

Wage percentiles, MississippiMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrMississippi: 10th $16.68 · 25th $19.36 · median $29.45 · 75th $31.18 · 90th $35.50Mississippi$29.45$16.68$35.50United 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: Mississippi vs United States, May 2025.

Mississippi ranks 38th of 50 states for median crane operator pay, and 25th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $33.85). 550 crane and tower operators work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$16.68 – $19.36$34,690 – $40,280roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$19.36 – $31.18$40,280 – $64,860the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$31.18 – $35.50$64,860 – $73,840the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Crane operator pay by metro in Mississippi

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30$40/hrGulfport: $31.02Gulfport$31.02Jackson: $30.58Jackson$30.58Memphis: $25.77Memphis$25.77
Median hourly wage for crane and tower operators by metro area in Mississippi, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
Gulfport$25.23$31.02$31.021405% above
Jackson$18.14$30.58$36.591004% above
Memphis$18.29$25.77$39.7211012% below

Crane operator wages in Mississippi over time

Mississippi, 1999-2025MississippiUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$20$30$40200020052010201520202025$32.73United States$29.45Mississippi
Median hourly wage for crane and tower operators, Mississippi vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearMississippi $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$13.67$26.42$15.29640
2000$13.67$25.56$15.89560
2001$14.40$26.18$16.64590
2002$14.26$25.52$17.47630
2003$14.13$24.72$17.86580
2004$14.82$25.26$17.99700
2005$15.50$25.55$18.69700
2006$15.26$24.37$18.77540
2007$16.53$25.67$19.36520
2008$19.38$28.98$20.13700
2009$17.53$26.31$21.22840
2010$17.51$25.85$22.23870
2011$17.40$24.90$22.34780
2012$18.03$25.28$22.73810
2013$18.99$26.24$23.38740
2014$19.19$26.10$24.39720
2015$21.11$28.67$24.83610
2016$23.14$31.04$25.08620
2017$21.20$27.84$25.10620
2018$21.08$27.03$26.03660
2019$20.58$25.92$27.26620
2020$25.18$31.32$28.71680
2021$28.56$33.93$29.92450
2022$30.13$33.15$29.49450
2023$25.48$26.92$31.10500
2024$30.05$30.84$31.91770
2025$29.45$29.45$32.73550

In today's dollars, the median crane operator wage in Mississippi changed by +2.7% over the last ten years of data.

Union scale and prevailing wage for crane operators in Mississippi

On federally funded construction in Mississippi, contractors must pay crane operators at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 15 of the 16 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $50.05 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical $24.98). 1 of the 16 counties still use a survey rate dated 2017 or earlier (for example Harrison County at $24.98). The market median for the state is $29.45.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, MSAdams: —Alcorn: —Amite: —Attala: —Benton: $50.05 (union)Bolivar: —Calhoun: —Carroll: —Chickasaw: —Choctaw: —Claiborne: —Clarke: —Clay: —Coahoma: —Copiah: $50.05 (union)Covington: —DeSoto: $50.05 (union)Forrest: $50.05 (union)Franklin: —George: —Greene: —Grenada: —Hancock: $50.05 (union)Harrison: $24.98 (survey)Hinds: $50.05 (union)Holmes: —Humphreys: —Issaquena: —Itawamba: —Jackson: $50.05 (union)Jasper: —Jefferson: —Jefferson Davis: —Jones: —Kemper: —Lafayette: —Lamar: $50.05 (union)Lauderdale: —Lawrence: —Leake: —Lee: —Leflore: —Lincoln: —Lowndes: —Madison: $50.05 (union)Marion: —Marshall: $50.05 (union)Monroe: —Montgomery: —Neshoba: —Newton: —Noxubee: —Oktibbeha: —Panola: —Pearl River: —Perry: $50.05 (union)Pike: —Pontotoc: —Prentiss: —Quitman: —Rankin: $50.05 (union)Scott: —Sharkey: —Simpson: $50.05 (union)Smith: —Stone: —Sunflower: —Tallahatchie: —Tate: $50.05 (union)Tippah: —Tishomingo: —Tunica: $50.05 (union)Union: —Walthall: —Warren: —Washington: —Wayne: —Webster: —Wilkinson: —Winston: —Yalobusha: —Yazoo: —Union / prevailing package, $/hrn/asurvey rate
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/hrBenton (Memphis): market median $25.77, prevailing (union) $50.05, gap +$24.28Benton (Memphis)+$24.28Forrest (Mississippi): market median $29.45, prevailing (union) $50.05, gap +$20.60Forrest (Mississippi)+$20.60Copiah (Jackson): market median $30.58, prevailing (union) $50.05, gap +$19.47Copiah (Jackson)+$19.47Hancock (Gulfport): market median $31.02, prevailing (union) $50.05, gap +$19.03Hancock (Gulfport)+$19.03
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for crane operators, metro counties in Mississippi.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
BentonUnion ENGI0624-007 2024-01-01$35.50$14.55$50.05MS20260054
CopiahUnion ENGI0624-007 2024-01-01$35.50$14.55$50.05MS20260055
DeSotoUnion ENGI0624-007 2024-01-01$35.50$14.55$50.05MS20260054
ForrestUnion ENGI0624-007 2024-01-01$35.50$14.55$50.05MS20260048
HancockUnion ENGI0624-007 2024-01-01$35.50$14.55$50.05MS20260049
HindsUnion ENGI0624-007 2024-01-01$35.50$14.55$50.05MS20260051
JacksonUnion ENGI0624-007 2024-01-01$35.50$14.55$50.05MS20260052
LamarUnion ENGI0624-007 2024-01-01$35.50$14.55$50.05MS20260056
MadisonUnion ENGI0624-007 2024-01-01$35.50$14.55$50.05MS20260055
MarshallUnion ENGI0624-007 2024-01-01$35.50$14.55$50.05MS20260054
PerryUnion ENGI0624-007 2024-01-01$35.50$14.55$50.05MS20260056
RankinUnion ENGI0624-007 2024-01-01$35.50$14.55$50.05MS20260053
SimpsonUnion ENGI0624-007 2024-01-01$35.50$14.55$50.05MS20260055
TateUnion ENGI0624-007 2024-01-01$35.50$14.55$50.05MS20260054
TunicaUnion ENGI0624-007 2024-01-01$35.50$14.55$50.05MS20260054

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

Is construction work growing in Mississippi?

55.9kConstruction jobsMississippi, 2026-08
+3.7%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-202620k30k40k50k60k70k1990199520002005201020152020202556kAug 2026
Construction employment in Mississippi (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
Tunica County62$87,142$1,676
Neshoba County516$85,944$1,653
Greene County60$82,741$1,591
Marion County364$78,445$1,509
Madison County1,494$74,410$1,431
Hancock County425$72,537$1,395
Lowndes County1,212$71,442$1,374
George County150$71,249$1,370
Attala County235$69,767$1,342
DeSoto County1,895$69,197$1,331
Yazoo County185$68,659$1,320
Marshall County383$67,354$1,295

Keep comparing

Crane operator pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Mississippi

Questions this page answers

How much do crane operators make in Mississippi?

The median crane operator in Mississippi earned $29.45 an hour ($61,260 a year) in May 2025, 10% below the national median of $32.73. The middle half earn $19.36–$31.18; the top 10% earn more than $35.50.

Where does Mississippi rank for crane operator pay?

Mississippi ranks 38th of 50 states for crane operator pay, with a median of $29.45 an hour, and 25th after adjusting for Mississippi's cost of living (BEA price parity 87.0, US = 100).

What is the union crane operator rate in Mississippi?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for crane operators in 15 counties, with a typical package of $50.05 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many crane operators work in Mississippi?

BLS counted 550 crane and tower operators in Mississippi in May 2025, 0.5 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 1.72; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

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