Skilled Wages

Crane operator salary in Montana

Median $39.81 an hour for 30 crane operators, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 1999 and the state's own outlook.

$39.81/hrMedian hourly wageMontana, May data
$82,800/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$24.99 – $48.9710th to 90th percentilehourly range
30Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Crane operator pay in Montana: the full range

Wage percentiles, MontanaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrMontana: 10th $24.99 · 25th $35.66 · median $39.81 · 75th $46.08 · 90th $48.97Montana$39.81$24.99$48.97United 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: Montana vs United States, May 2025.

Montana ranks 12th of 50 states for median crane operator pay, and 9th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $42.08). 30 crane operators work in the state. The top 10% earn 2.0× what the bottom 10% earn.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$24.99 – $35.66$51,970 – $74,170roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$35.66 – $46.08$74,170 – $95,840the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$46.08 – $48.97$95,840 – $101,860the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Crane operator wages in Montana over time

Montana, 1999-2025MontanaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$20$30$40$5020002010201520202025$39.81Montana$32.73United States
Median hourly wage for crane operators, Montana vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearMontana $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$14.88$28.75$15.2970
2000$19.40$36.27$15.8960
2001$19.67$35.76$16.6480
2002$18.84$33.72$17.47200
2003$17.96$31.42$17.86190
2004$17.31$29.50$17.9980
2006$22.64$36.15$18.7760
2007$18.49$28.71$19.36110
2008$15.40$23.03$20.1370
2009$23.61$35.43$21.2280
2010$25.38$37.47$22.2390
2011$25.58$36.61$22.34110
2012$26.90$37.72$22.7390
2013$33.03$45.65$23.38120
2014$33.03$44.92$24.39130
2015$32.72$44.44$24.83160
2016$30.32$40.67$25.08190
2017$31.48$41.35$25.10180
2018$31.77$40.73$26.03220
2019$26.51$33.38$27.26100
2020$33.86$42.12$28.71170
2021$30.51$36.25$29.92130
2022$32.63$35.90$29.49120
2023$33.00$34.87$31.10120
2024$44.00$45.16$31.9190
2025$39.81$39.81$32.7330

In today's dollars, the median crane operator wage in Montana changed by -10.4% over the last ten years of data and by +19.3% since 2019.

Are there more crane operator jobs in Montana?

0.1Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 0.2× the US share, 47th of 47 states

BLS counted 30 crane operators in Montana in May 2025, an estimate with a relative standard error of 20%. 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 Montana

+6.0%Projected growth in Montana2024–2034, state agency
10Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
120Jobs in 2024120 projected for 2034
+3.8%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

Montana's labor market agency projects the number of crane operators in the state to change by +6.0% between 2024 and 2034, from 120 to 120, with about 10 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects +3.8% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed, so the base is larger than the 30 counted by the BLS employer survey.

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

Union scale and prevailing wage for crane operators in Montana

On federally funded construction in Montana, contractors must pay crane operators at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 40 of the 52 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $54.20 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical $31.45). 12 of the 52 counties still use a survey rate dated 2011 or earlier (for example Beaverhead County at $31.45). The market median for the state is $39.81.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, MTBeaverhead: $31.45 (survey)Big Horn: $54.20 (union)Blaine: $54.20 (union)Broadwater: $31.45 (survey)Carbon: n/aCarter: $54.20 (union)Cascade: n/aChouteau: $54.20 (union)Custer: $54.20 (union)Daniels: $54.20 (union)Dawson: $54.20 (union)Deer Lodge: $31.45 (survey)Fallon: $54.20 (union)Fergus: $54.20 (union)Flathead: $54.20 (union)Gallatin: $31.45 (survey)Garfield: $54.20 (union)Glacier: $54.20 (union)Golden Valley: $54.20 (union)Granite: $31.45 (survey)Hill: $54.20 (union)Jefferson: $31.45 (survey)Judith Basin: $54.20 (union)Lake: $54.20 (union)Lewis and Clark: $31.45 (survey)Liberty: $54.20 (union)Lincoln: $54.20 (union)McCone: $54.20 (union)Madison: $31.45 (survey)Meagher: $31.45 (survey)Mineral: $54.20 (union)Missoula: n/aMusselshell: $54.20 (union)Park: $31.45 (survey)Petroleum: $54.20 (union)Phillips: $54.20 (union)Pondera: $54.20 (union)Powder River: $54.20 (union)Powell: $31.45 (survey)Prairie: $54.20 (union)Ravalli: $54.20 (union)Richland: $54.20 (union)Roosevelt: $54.20 (union)Rosebud: $54.20 (union)Sanders: $54.20 (union)Sheridan: $54.20 (union)Silver Bow: $31.45 (survey)Stillwater: $54.20 (union)Sweet Grass: $54.20 (union)Teton: $54.20 (union)Toole: $54.20 (union)Treasure: $54.20 (union)Valley: $54.20 (union)Wheatland: $54.20 (union)Wibaux: $54.20 (union)Yellowstone: n/aUnion / 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.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
Big HornUnion ENGI0400-003 2025-05-01$38.00$16.20$54.20MT20260056
BlaineUnion ENGI0400-003 2025-05-01$38.00$16.20$54.20MT20260026
CarterUnion ENGI0400-003 2025-05-01$38.00$16.20$54.20MT20260057
ChouteauUnion ENGI0400-003 2025-05-01$38.00$16.20$54.20MT20260058
CusterUnion ENGI0400-003 2025-05-01$38.00$16.20$54.20MT20260057
DanielsUnion ENGI0400-003 2025-05-01$38.00$16.20$54.20MT20260028
DawsonUnion ENGI0400-003 2025-05-01$38.00$16.20$54.20MT20260029
FallonUnion ENGI0400-003 2025-05-01$38.00$16.20$54.20MT20260057
FergusUnion ENGI0400-003 2025-05-01$38.00$16.20$54.20MT20260031
FlatheadUnion ENGI0400-003 2025-05-01$38.00$16.20$54.20MT20260032
GarfieldUnion ENGI0400-003 2025-05-01$38.00$16.20$54.20MT20260057
GlacierUnion ENGI0400-003 2025-05-01$38.00$16.20$54.20MT20260034
Golden ValleyUnion ENGI0400-003 2025-05-01$38.00$16.20$54.20MT20260035
HillUnion ENGI0400-003 2025-05-01$38.00$16.20$54.20MT20260037
Judith BasinUnion ENGI0400-003 2025-05-01$38.00$16.20$54.20MT20260058

Building construction type, current revisions as of 2026-11-13. Residential, Heavy and Highway rates differ; look them up on the Montana prevailing wage page. This is not the official wage determination.

Is construction work growing in Montana?

38.7kConstruction jobsMontana, 2026-09
+0.5%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-20260k10k20k30k40k50k1990199520002005201020152020202539kSep 2026
Construction employment in Montana (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 36 counties that report both years, specialty trade contractor employment (all trades) went from 14,094 in 2015 to 21,099 in 2025, +49.7%.

CountyEstablishmentsEmployeesAverage annual payAvg weekly wage
Rosebud County10224$111,779$2,150
Deer Lodge County1889$80,074$1,540
Richland County36183$76,715$1,475
Gallatin County8984,678$76,500$1,471
Fallon County1138$75,006$1,442
Yellowstone County5483,479$70,706$1,360
Cascade County2061,496$70,021$1,347
Missoula County4042,454$69,524$1,337
Park County101393$68,962$1,326
Lewis and Clark County2311,250$67,413$1,296
Silver Bow County71396$65,372$1,257
Custer County32114$65,154$1,253

Keep comparing

Crane operator pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Montana

More on Montana

Questions this page answers

How much do crane operators make in Montana?

The median crane operator in Montana earned $39.81 an hour ($82,800 a year) in May 2025, 22% above the national median of $32.73. The middle half earn $35.66–$46.08; the top 10% earn more than $48.97.

Where does Montana rank for crane operator pay?

Montana ranks 12th of 50 states for crane operator pay, with a median of $39.81 an hour, and 9th after adjusting for Montana's cost of living (BEA price parity 94.6, US = 100).

What is the union crane operator rate in Montana?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for crane operators in 40 counties, with a typical package of $54.20 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many crane operators work in Montana?

BLS counted 30 crane operators in Montana in May 2025, 0.1 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.25; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is crane operator work growing in Montana?

Montana's labor market agency projects +6.0% growth for crane operators between 2024 and 2034, from 120 to 120 jobs.

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

Montana projects about 10 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, Montana 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: Montana labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.