Skilled Wages

Crane operator salary in Missouri

Median $28.10 an hour for 630 crane and tower operators, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$28.10/hrMedian hourly wageMissouri, May data
$58,450/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$19.56 – $45.9510th to 90th percentilehourly range
630Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Crane operator pay in Missouri: the full range

Wage percentiles, MissouriMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrMissouri: 10th $19.56 · 25th $19.81 · median $28.10 · 75th $39.30 · 90th $45.95Missouri$28.10$19.56$45.95United 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: Missouri vs United States, May 2025.

Missouri ranks 45th of 50 states for median crane operator pay, and 41st once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $30.95). 630 crane and tower operators work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$19.56 – $19.81$40,680 – $41,210roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$19.81 – $39.30$41,210 – $81,740the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$39.30 – $45.95$81,740 – $95,580the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Crane operator pay by metro in Missouri

Ranked median wages$0$20$40$60/hrKansas City: $39.02Kansas City$39.02St. Louis: $22.20St. Louis$22.20
Median hourly wage for crane and tower operators by metro area in Missouri, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
Kansas City$19.57$39.02$46.0433039% above
St. Louis$19.70$22.20$45.9732021% below

Crane operator wages in Missouri over time

Missouri, 1999-2025MissouriUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$20$30$40200020052010201520202025$32.73United States$28.10Missouri
Median hourly wage for crane and tower operators, Missouri vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearMissouri $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$16.56$32.00$15.29640
2000$17.23$32.21$15.89510
2001$17.42$31.67$16.64510
2002$15.88$28.42$17.47470
2003$16.16$28.27$17.86480
2004$16.80$28.63$17.99480
2005$19.73$32.52$18.69430
2006$21.36$34.11$18.77420
2007$18.39$28.55$19.36510
2008$17.45$26.09$20.13450
2009$19.38$29.08$21.22420
2010$20.67$30.52$22.23570
2011$22.54$32.26$22.34660
2012$22.40$31.41$22.73620
2013$25.24$34.88$23.38430
2014$25.00$34.00$24.39400
2015$23.33$31.69$24.83550
2016$24.15$32.39$25.08530
2017$21.94$28.82$25.10450
2018$19.63$25.17$26.03290
2019$21.09$26.56$27.26330
2020$20.16$25.08$28.71350
2021$34.83$41.38$29.92900
2022$36.51$40.16$29.49950
2023$32.70$34.55$31.10530
2024$22.39$22.98$31.91470
2025$28.10$28.10$32.73630

In today's dollars, the median crane operator wage in Missouri changed by -11.3% over the last ten years of data.

Union scale and prevailing wage for crane operators in Missouri

On federally funded construction in Missouri, contractors must pay crane operators at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 37 of the 37 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $69.71 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical —). The market median for the state is $28.10.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, MOAdair: —Andrew: $69.71 (union)Atchison: —Audrain: —Barry: —Barton: —Bates: $69.71 (union)Benton: —Bollinger: $76.53 (union)Boone: $69.44 (union)Buchanan: $69.71 (union)Butler: —Caldwell: $69.71 (union)Callaway: $69.44 (union)Camden: —Cape Girardeau: $76.53 (union)Carroll: —Carter: —Cass: $69.71 (union)Cedar: —Chariton: —Christian: $69.71 (union)Clark: —Clay: $69.71 (union)Clinton: $69.71 (union)Cole: $69.44 (union)Cooper: —Crawford: $69.44 (union)Dade: —Dallas: $69.71 (union)Daviess: —DeKalb: $69.71 (union)Dent: —Douglas: —Dunklin: —Franklin: $76.53 (union)Gasconade: —Gentry: —Greene: $69.71 (union)Grundy: —Harrison: —Henry: —Hickory: —Holt: —Howard: $69.44 (union)Howell: —Iron: —Jackson: $69.71 (union)Jasper: $69.71 (union)Jefferson: $76.53 (union)Johnson: —Knox: —Laclede: —Lafayette: $69.71 (union)Lawrence: —Lewis: —Lincoln: $76.53 (union)Linn: —Livingston: —McDonald: $69.71 (union)Macon: —Madison: —Maries: —Marion: —Mercer: —Miller: —Mississippi: —Moniteau: $69.44 (union)Monroe: —Montgomery: —Morgan: —New Madrid: —Newton: $69.71 (union)Nodaway: —Oregon: —Osage: $69.44 (union)Ozark: —Pemiscot: —Perry: —Pettis: —Phelps: —Pike: —Platte: $69.71 (union)Polk: $69.71 (union)Pulaski: —Putnam: —Ralls: —Randolph: —Ray: $69.71 (union)Reynolds: —Ripley: —St. Charles: $76.53 (union)St. Clair: —Ste. Genevieve: —St. Francois: —St. Louis: $76.53 (union)Saline: —Schuyler: —Scotland: —Scott: —Shannon: —Shelby: —Stoddard: —Stone: —Sullivan: —Taney: —Texas: —Vernon: —Warren: $76.53 (union)Washington: $76.53 (union)Wayne: —Webster: $69.71 (union)Worth: —Wright: —St. Louis: $76.53 (union)Union / prevailing package, $/hr$69.71n/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)$0$20$40$60$80$100/hrFranklin (St. Louis): market median $22.20, prevailing (union) $76.53, gap +$54.33Franklin (St. Louis)+$54.33Bollinger (Missouri): market median $28.10, prevailing (union) $76.53, gap +$48.43Bollinger (Missouri)+$48.43Bates (Kansas City): market median $39.02, prevailing (union) $69.71, gap +$30.69Bates (Kansas City)+$30.69
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for crane operators, metro counties in Missouri.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
BollingerUnion ENGI0513-028 2025-05-07$45.96$30.57$76.53MO20260083
Cape GirardeauUnion ENGI0513-028 2025-05-07$45.96$30.57$76.53MO20260083
FranklinUnion ENGI0513-028 2025-05-07$45.96$30.57$76.53MO20260074
JeffersonUnion ENGI0513-028 2025-05-07$45.96$30.57$76.53MO20260077
LincolnUnion ENGI0513-028 2025-05-07$45.96$30.57$76.53MO20260087
St. CharlesUnion ENGI0513-028 2025-05-07$45.96$30.57$76.53MO20260087
St. LouisUnion ENGI0513-028 2025-05-07$45.96$30.57$76.53MO20260089
WarrenUnion ENGI0513-028 2025-05-07$45.96$30.57$76.53MO20260087
WashingtonUnion ENGI0513-028 2025-05-07$45.96$30.57$76.53MO20260089
St. LouisUnion ENGI0513-028 2025-05-07$45.96$30.57$76.53MO20260080
AndrewUnion ENGI0101-053 2025-04-01$47.29$22.42$69.71MO20260081
BatesUnion ENGI0101-053 2025-04-01$47.29$22.42$69.71MO20260082
BuchananUnion ENGI0101-053 2025-04-01$47.29$22.42$69.71MO20260081
CaldwellUnion ENGI0101-053 2025-04-01$47.29$22.42$69.71MO20260082
CassUnion ENGI0101-053 2025-04-01$47.29$22.42$69.71MO20260072

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

Is construction work growing in Missouri?

165.4kConstruction jobsMissouri, 2026-08
+6.7%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-202650k100k150k200k19901995200020052010201520202025165kAug 2026
Construction employment in Missouri (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
Dunklin County68$97,322$1,872
St. Louis City5,141$97,072$1,867
Buchanan County1,388$91,358$1,757
St. Louis County21,744$89,441$1,720
Jackson County14,997$88,854$1,709
Camden County804$78,244$1,505
Jasper County1,635$77,303$1,487
Ste. Genevieve County438$76,951$1,480
St. Charles County6,796$75,773$1,457
Cole County2,285$74,999$1,442
Marion County129$74,165$1,426
Clay County3,500$73,760$1,418

Keep comparing

Crane operator pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Missouri

Questions this page answers

How much do crane operators make in Missouri?

The median crane operator in Missouri earned $28.10 an hour ($58,450 a year) in May 2025, 14% below the national median of $32.73. The middle half earn $19.81–$39.30; the top 10% earn more than $45.95.

Where does Missouri rank for crane operator pay?

Missouri ranks 45th of 50 states for crane operator pay, with a median of $28.10 an hour, and 41st after adjusting for Missouri's cost of living (BEA price parity 90.8, US = 100).

What is the union crane operator rate in Missouri?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for crane operators in 37 counties, with a typical package of $69.71 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many crane operators work in Missouri?

BLS counted 630 crane and tower operators in Missouri in May 2025, 0.2 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.77; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

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