Skilled Wages

Crane operator salary in Nebraska

Median $29.19 an hour for 410 crane and tower operators, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$29.19/hrMedian hourly wageNebraska, May data
$60,720/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$17.38 – $39.6210th to 90th percentilehourly range
410Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Crane operator pay in Nebraska: the full range

Wage percentiles, NebraskaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrNebraska: 10th $17.38 · 25th $22.58 · median $29.19 · 75th $37.26 · 90th $39.62Nebraska$29.19$17.38$39.62United 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: Nebraska vs United States, May 2025.

Nebraska ranks 41st of 50 states for median crane operator pay, and 35th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $32.40). 410 crane and tower operators work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$17.38 – $22.58$36,140 – $46,970roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$22.58 – $37.26$46,970 – $77,500the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$37.26 – $39.62$77,500 – $82,410the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Crane operator pay by metro in Nebraska

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30$40/hrLincoln: $37.26Lincoln$37.26Omaha: $33.12Omaha$33.12
Median hourly wage for crane and tower operators by metro area in Nebraska, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
Lincoln$23.74$37.26$48.4010028% above
Omaha$23.14$33.12$39.6215013% above

Crane operator wages in Nebraska over time

Nebraska, 1999-2025NebraskaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$0$10$20$30$40200020052010201520202025$32.73United States$29.19Nebraska
Median hourly wage for crane and tower operators, Nebraska vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearNebraska $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$14.32$27.67$15.29160
2000$11.85$22.15$15.89250
2001$12.89$23.43$16.64270
2002$17.94$32.10$17.47310
2003$17.91$31.34$17.86320
2004$17.46$29.76$17.99460
2005$14.25$23.49$18.69210
2006$16.71$26.68$18.77210
2007$21.77$33.80$19.36200
2008$22.18$33.17$20.13330
2009$20.60$30.91$21.22250
2010$23.90$35.29$22.23250
2011$24.26$34.72$22.34210
2012$23.59$33.08$22.73260
2013$19.14$26.45$23.38220
2014$21.73$29.55$24.39330
2015$22.26$30.24$24.83300
2016$19.36$25.97$25.08350
2017$19.84$26.06$25.10280
2018$23.98$30.74$26.03350
2019$26.50$33.37$27.26380
2020$23.08$28.71$28.71550
2021$23.63$28.08$29.92340
2022$31.43$34.58$29.49390
2023$32.64$34.49$31.10320
2024$32.11$32.95$31.91290
2025$29.19$29.19$32.73410

In today's dollars, the median crane operator wage in Nebraska changed by -3.5% over the last ten years of data.

Union scale and prevailing wage for crane operators in Nebraska

On federally funded construction in Nebraska, contractors must pay crane operators at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 9 of the 9 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $55.13 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical —). The market median for the state is $29.19.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, NEAdams: —Antelope: —Arthur: —Banner: —Blaine: —Boone: —Box Butte: —Boyd: —Brown: —Buffalo: —Burt: —Butler: —Cass: $55.13 (union)Cedar: —Chase: —Cherry: —Cheyenne: —Clay: —Colfax: —Cuming: —Custer: —Dakota: $55.13 (union)Dawes: —Dawson: —Deuel: —Dixon: $55.13 (union)Dodge: —Douglas: $55.13 (union)Dundy: —Fillmore: —Franklin: —Frontier: —Furnas: —Gage: —Garden: —Garfield: —Gosper: —Grant: —Greeley: —Hall: —Hamilton: —Harlan: —Hayes: —Hitchcock: —Holt: —Hooker: —Howard: —Jefferson: —Johnson: —Kearney: —Keith: —Keya Paha: —Kimball: —Knox: —Lancaster: $55.13 (union)Lincoln: —Logan: —Loup: —McPherson: —Madison: —Merrick: —Morrill: —Nance: —Nemaha: —Nuckolls: —Otoe: —Pawnee: —Perkins: —Phelps: —Pierce: —Platte: —Polk: —Red Willow: —Richardson: —Rock: —Saline: —Sarpy: $55.13 (union)Saunders: $55.13 (union)Scotts Bluff: —Seward: $55.13 (union)Sheridan: —Sherman: —Sioux: —Stanton: —Thayer: —Thomas: —Thurston: —Valley: —Washington: $55.13 (union)Wayne: —Webster: —Wheeler: —York: —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$30$40$50$60/hrDakota (Nebraska): market median $29.19, prevailing (union) $55.13, gap +$25.94Dakota (Nebraska)+$25.94Cass (Omaha): market median $33.12, prevailing (union) $55.13, gap +$22.01Cass (Omaha)+$22.01Lancaster (Lincoln): market median $37.26, prevailing (union) $55.13, gap +$17.87Lancaster (Lincoln)+$17.87
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for crane operators, metro counties in Nebraska.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
CassUnion ENGI0571-004 2024-10-01$36.44$18.69$55.13NE20260056
DakotaUnion ENGI0571-004 2024-10-01$36.44$18.69$55.13NE20260063
DixonUnion ENGI0571-004 2024-10-01$36.44$18.69$55.13NE20260063
DouglasUnion ENGI0571-004 2024-10-01$36.44$18.69$55.13NE20260057
LancasterUnion ENGI0571-004 2024-10-01$36.44$18.69$55.13NE20260058
SarpyUnion ENGI0571-004 2024-10-01$36.44$18.69$55.13NE20260059
SaundersUnion ENGI0571-004 2024-10-01$36.44$18.69$55.13NE20260060
SewardUnion ENGI0571-004 2024-10-01$36.44$18.69$55.13NE20260061
WashingtonUnion ENGI0571-004 2024-10-01$36.44$18.69$55.13NE20260062

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

Is construction work growing in Nebraska?

71.2kConstruction jobsNebraska, 2026-08
+6.6%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-20260k20k40k60k80k1990199520002005201020152020202571kAug 2026
Construction employment in Nebraska (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
Sarpy County7,555$74,555$1,434
Douglas County14,088$73,877$1,421
Washington County558$70,250$1,351
Adams County671$69,388$1,334
Hamilton County220$67,950$1,307
Dodge County639$67,910$1,306
Lancaster County7,227$67,672$1,301
Lincoln County597$67,340$1,295
Platte County789$67,272$1,294
Merrick County117$66,920$1,287
Antelope County39$66,896$1,286
Phelps County177$64,452$1,239

Keep comparing

Crane operator pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Nebraska

Questions this page answers

How much do crane operators make in Nebraska?

The median crane operator in Nebraska earned $29.19 an hour ($60,720 a year) in May 2025, 11% below the national median of $32.73. The middle half earn $22.58–$37.26; the top 10% earn more than $39.62.

Where does Nebraska rank for crane operator pay?

Nebraska ranks 41st of 50 states for crane operator pay, with a median of $29.19 an hour, and 35th after adjusting for Nebraska's cost of living (BEA price parity 90.1, US = 100).

What is the union crane operator rate in Nebraska?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for crane operators in 9 counties, with a typical package of $55.13 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many crane operators work in Nebraska?

BLS counted 410 crane and tower operators in Nebraska in May 2025, 0.4 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 1.44; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

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