Skilled Wages

Crane operator salary in Oklahoma

Median $30.57 an hour for 620 crane operators, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 1999 and the state's own outlook.

$30.57/hrMedian hourly wageOklahoma, May data
$63,590/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$22.26 – $39.6710th to 90th percentilehourly range
620Jobs countedemployer survey

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025; prevailing wage as of 2026-11-06

Crane operator pay in Oklahoma: the full range

Wage percentiles, OklahomaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrOklahoma: 10th $22.26 · 25th $26.00 · median $30.57 · 75th $37.58 · 90th $39.67Oklahoma$30.57$22.26$39.67United 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: Oklahoma vs United States, May 2025.

Oklahoma ranks 32nd of 50 states for median crane operator pay, and 22nd once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $34.82). 620 crane operators work in the state. The top 10% earn 1.8× what the bottom 10% earn.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$22.26 – $26.00$46,300 – $54,080roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$26.00 – $37.58$54,080 – $78,160the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$37.58 – $39.67$78,160 – $82,500the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Crane operator pay by metro in Oklahoma

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30$40/hrTulsa: $36.73Tulsa$36.73Oklahoma City: $28.42Oklahoma City$28.42Fort Smith: $21.31Fort Smith$21.31
Median hourly wage for crane operators by metro area in Oklahoma, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hrCost-of-living adjusted90thJobsvs state
Tulsa$22.88$36.73$41.18$39.6620020% above
Oklahoma City$19.62$28.42$31.44$39.381507% below
Fort Smith$18.94$21.31$24.81$30.829030% below

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

Crane operator wages in Oklahoma over time

Oklahoma, 1999-2025OklahomaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$20$30$40200020052010201520202025$32.73United States$30.57Oklahoma
Median hourly wage for crane operators, Oklahoma vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearOklahoma $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$15.01$29.01$15.29900
2000$15.86$29.65$15.89590
2001$15.91$28.92$16.64570
2002$15.43$27.61$17.47320
2003$14.43$25.25$17.86290
2004$17.15$29.23$17.99370
2005$19.59$32.29$18.69370
2006$19.19$30.65$18.77470
2007$18.69$29.02$19.36480
2008$17.00$25.42$20.13520
2009$18.09$27.15$21.22460
2010$17.87$26.38$22.23400
2011$17.95$25.69$22.34390
2012$17.99$25.23$22.73420
2013$23.86$32.97$23.38530
2014$23.90$32.50$24.39660
2015$25.01$33.97$24.83750
2016$24.95$33.47$25.08610
2017$25.91$34.03$25.10520
2018$23.44$30.05$26.03510
2019$27.06$34.08$27.26630
2020$26.35$32.78$28.71670
2021$28.90$34.34$29.92800
2022$26.51$29.16$29.49550
2023$27.12$28.65$31.10500
2024$34.38$35.28$31.91540
2025$30.57$30.57$32.73620

In today's dollars, the median crane operator wage in Oklahoma changed by -10.0% over the last ten years of data and by -10.3% since 2019.

Are there more crane operator jobs in Oklahoma?

0.4Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 1.3× the US share, 15th of 47 states

BLS counted 620 crane operators in Oklahoma in May 2025, an estimate with a relative standard error of 17%. 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 Oklahoma

+3.3%Projected growth in Oklahoma2024–2034, state agency
50Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
540Jobs in 2024560 projected for 2034
+3.8%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

Oklahoma's labor market agency projects the number of crane operators in the state to change by +3.3% between 2024 and 2034, from 540 to 560, with about 50 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 620 counted by the BLS employer survey.

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

Union scale and prevailing wage for crane operators in Oklahoma

On federally funded construction in Oklahoma, contractors must pay crane operators at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 77 of the 77 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $55.19 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical —). The market median for the state is $30.57.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, OKAdair: $55.19 (union)Alfalfa: $55.19 (union)Atoka: $55.19 (union)Beaver: $55.19 (union)Beckham: $55.19 (union)Blaine: $55.19 (union)Bryan: $55.19 (union)Caddo: $55.19 (union)Canadian: $55.19 (union)Carter: $55.19 (union)Cherokee: $55.19 (union)Choctaw: $55.19 (union)Cimarron: $55.19 (union)Cleveland: $55.19 (union)Coal: $55.19 (union)Comanche: $55.19 (union)Cotton: $55.19 (union)Craig: $55.19 (union)Creek: $55.19 (union)Custer: $55.19 (union)Delaware: $55.19 (union)Dewey: $55.19 (union)Ellis: $55.19 (union)Garfield: $55.19 (union)Garvin: $55.19 (union)Grady: $55.19 (union)Grant: $55.19 (union)Greer: $55.19 (union)Harmon: $55.19 (union)Harper: $55.19 (union)Haskell: $55.19 (union)Hughes: $55.19 (union)Jackson: $55.19 (union)Jefferson: $55.19 (union)Johnston: $55.19 (union)Kay: $55.19 (union)Kingfisher: $55.19 (union)Kiowa: $55.19 (union)Latimer: $55.19 (union)Le Flore: $55.19 (union)Lincoln: $55.19 (union)Logan: $55.19 (union)Love: $55.19 (union)McClain: $55.19 (union)McCurtain: $55.19 (union)McIntosh: $55.19 (union)Major: $55.19 (union)Marshall: $55.19 (union)Mayes: $55.19 (union)Murray: $55.19 (union)Muskogee: $55.19 (union)Noble: $55.19 (union)Nowata: $55.19 (union)Okfuskee: $55.19 (union)Oklahoma: $55.19 (union)Okmulgee: $55.19 (union)Osage: $55.19 (union)Ottawa: $55.19 (union)Pawnee: $55.19 (union)Payne: $55.19 (union)Pittsburg: $55.19 (union)Pontotoc: $55.19 (union)Pottawatomie: $55.19 (union)Pushmataha: $55.19 (union)Roger Mills: $55.19 (union)Rogers: $55.19 (union)Seminole: $55.19 (union)Sequoyah: $55.19 (union)Stephens: $55.19 (union)Texas: $55.19 (union)Tillman: $55.19 (union)Tulsa: $55.19 (union)Wagoner: $55.19 (union)Washington: $55.19 (union)Washita: $55.19 (union)Woods: $55.19 (union)Woodward: $55.19 (union)Union / prevailing package, $/hr
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)$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrSequoyah (Fort Smith): market median $21.31, prevailing (union) $55.19, gap +$33.88Sequoyah (Fort Smith)+$33.88Canadian (Oklahoma City): market median $28.42, prevailing (union) $55.19, gap +$26.77Canadian (Oklahoma City)+$26.77Comanche (Oklahoma): market median $30.57, prevailing (union) $55.19, gap +$24.62Comanche (Oklahoma)+$24.62Creek (Tulsa): market median $36.73, prevailing (union) $55.19, gap +$18.46Creek (Tulsa)+$18.46
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for crane operators, metro counties in Oklahoma.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
AdairUnion ENGI0627-022 2025-06-01$36.14$19.05$55.19OK20260067
AlfalfaUnion ENGI0627-012 2025-06-01$36.14$19.05$55.19OK20260068
AtokaUnion ENGI0627-018 2025-06-01$36.14$19.05$55.19OK20260069
BeaverUnion ENGI0627-012 2025-06-01$36.14$19.05$55.19OK20260068
BeckhamUnion ENGI0627-012 2025-06-01$36.14$19.05$55.19OK20260056
BlaineUnion ENGI0627-012 2025-06-01$36.14$19.05$55.19OK20260068
BryanUnion ENGI0627-018 2025-06-01$36.14$19.05$55.19OK20260069
CaddoUnion ENGI0627-012 2025-06-01$36.14$19.05$55.19OK20260070
CanadianUnion ENGI0627-020 2025-06-01$36.14$19.05$55.19OK20260041
CarterUnion ENGI0627-019 2025-06-01$36.14$19.05$55.19OK20260037
CherokeeUnion ENGI0627-022 2025-06-01$36.14$19.05$55.19OK20260067
ChoctawUnion ENGI0627-018 2025-06-01$36.14$19.05$55.19OK20260069
CimarronUnion ENGI0627-012 2025-06-01$36.14$19.05$55.19OK20260068
ClevelandUnion ENGI0627-020 2025-06-01$36.14$19.05$55.19OK20260042
CoalUnion ENGI0627-018 2025-06-01$36.14$19.05$55.19OK20260071

Building construction type, current revisions as of 2026-11-06. Residential, Heavy and Highway rates differ; look them up on the Oklahoma prevailing wage page. This is not the official wage determination.

Is construction work growing in Oklahoma?

93.5kConstruction jobsOklahoma, 2026-09
+3.8%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-202620k40k60k80k100k120k1990199520002005201020152020202594kSep 2026
Construction employment in Oklahoma (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 59 counties that report both years, specialty trade contractor employment (all trades) went from 46,195 in 2015 to 53,001 in 2025, +14.7%.

CountyEstablishmentsEmployeesAverage annual payAvg weekly wage
Mayes County74881$87,492$1,683
Wagoner County1291,430$70,348$1,353
Oklahoma County1,67314,942$69,993$1,346
Creek County1611,700$69,072$1,328
Cherokee County48381$68,777$1,323
Tulsa County1,42113,861$68,683$1,321
Garvin County61378$67,508$1,298
Stephens County59407$66,128$1,272
Delaware County66436$65,616$1,262
Washington County77674$63,951$1,230
Beckham County23227$63,523$1,222
Beaver County7142$63,492$1,221

Keep comparing

Crane operator pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Oklahoma

More on Oklahoma

Questions this page answers

How much do crane operators make in Oklahoma?

The median crane operator in Oklahoma earned $30.57 an hour ($63,590 a year) in May 2025, 7% below the national median of $32.73. The middle half earn $26.00–$37.58; the top 10% earn more than $39.67.

Where does Oklahoma rank for crane operator pay?

Oklahoma ranks 32nd of 50 states for crane operator pay, with a median of $30.57 an hour, and 22nd after adjusting for Oklahoma's cost of living (BEA price parity 87.8, US = 100).

What is the union crane operator rate in Oklahoma?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for crane operators in 77 counties, with a typical package of $55.19 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many crane operators work in Oklahoma?

BLS counted 620 crane operators in Oklahoma in May 2025, 0.4 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 1.31; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is crane operator work growing in Oklahoma?

Oklahoma's labor market agency projects +3.3% growth for crane operators between 2024 and 2034, from 540 to 560 jobs.

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

Oklahoma projects about 50 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, Oklahoma 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 2026-11-06. Not the official determination.
  • BLS Employment Projections, national, 2025-35.
  • State projection: Oklahoma labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.