Skilled Wages

Crane operator salary in South Dakota

Median $34.13 an hour for 120 crane and tower operators, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$34.13/hrMedian hourly wageSouth Dakota, May data
$71,000/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$28.06 – $45.0010th to 90th percentilehourly range
120Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Crane operator pay in South Dakota: the full range

Wage percentiles, South DakotaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrSouth Dakota: 10th $28.06 · 25th $29.37 · median $34.13 · 75th $37.24 · 90th $45.00South Dakota$34.13$28.06$45.00United 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: South Dakota vs United States, May 2025.

South Dakota ranks 22nd of 50 states for median crane operator pay, and 15th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $38.52). 120 crane and tower operators work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$28.06 – $29.37$58,370 – $61,080roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$29.37 – $37.24$61,080 – $77,450the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$37.24 – $45.00$77,450 – $93,600the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Crane operator pay by metro in South Dakota

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30$40/hrSioux Falls: $30.75Sioux Falls$30.75
Median hourly wage for crane and tower operators by metro area in South Dakota, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
Sioux Falls$22.47$30.75$34.807010% below

Crane operator wages in South Dakota over time

South Dakota, 1999-2025South DakotaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$0$10$20$30$40200020052010201520202025$34.13South Dakota$32.73United States
Median hourly wage for crane and tower operators, South Dakota vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearSouth Dakota $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$12.16$23.50$15.2980
2000$14.51$27.13$15.8980
2001$16.69$30.34$16.6490
2002$16.26$29.10$17.4780
2003$16.60$29.04$17.8690
2004$17.14$29.21$17.9960
2005$15.74$25.95$18.6970
2006$16.63$26.56$18.7750
2007$17.10$26.55$19.3670
2008$18.59$27.80$20.1380
2009$18.62$27.94$21.2260
2010$19.80$29.23$22.2390
2011$20.59$29.47$22.3460
2012$21.35$29.94$22.7370
2013$21.46$29.66$23.3880
2014$21.85$29.71$24.39100
2015$22.50$30.56$24.8380
2016$21.84$29.30$25.0860
2017$23.45$30.80$25.1050
2018$27.59$35.37$26.0340
2019$27.24$34.30$27.2660
2020$27.36$34.03$28.7140
2021$29.86$35.48$29.9280
2022$30.65$33.72$29.49100
2023$32.58$34.42$31.1080
2024$33.85$34.74$31.9150
2025$34.13$34.13$32.73120

In today's dollars, the median crane operator wage in South Dakota changed by +11.7% over the last ten years of data.

Union scale and prevailing wage for crane operators in South Dakota

On federally funded construction in South Dakota, contractors must pay crane operators at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 58 of the 58 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $53.09 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical —). The market median for the state is $34.13.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, SDAurora: $53.09 (union)Beadle: $53.09 (union)Bennett: $53.09 (union)Bon Homme: $53.09 (union)Brookings: $53.09 (union)Brown: $53.09 (union)Brule: $53.09 (union)Buffalo: $53.09 (union)Butte: $53.09 (union)Campbell: $53.09 (union)Charles Mix: $53.09 (union)Clark: $53.09 (union)Clay: $53.09 (union)Codington: $53.09 (union)Corson: $53.09 (union)Custer: —Davison: $53.09 (union)Day: $53.09 (union)Deuel: $53.09 (union)Dewey: $53.09 (union)Douglas: $53.09 (union)Edmunds: $53.09 (union)Fall River: $53.09 (union)Faulk: $53.09 (union)Grant: $53.09 (union)Gregory: $53.09 (union)Haakon: $53.09 (union)Hamlin: $53.09 (union)Hand: $53.09 (union)Hanson: $53.09 (union)Harding: $53.09 (union)Hughes: $53.09 (union)Hutchinson: $53.09 (union)Hyde: $53.09 (union)Jackson: $53.09 (union)Jerauld: $53.09 (union)Jones: $53.09 (union)Kingsbury: $53.09 (union)Lake: $53.09 (union)Lawrence: $53.09 (union)Lincoln: —Lyman: $53.09 (union)McCook: —McPherson: $53.09 (union)Marshall: $53.09 (union)Meade: —Mellette: $53.09 (union)Miner: $53.09 (union)Minnehaha: —Moody: $53.09 (union)Oglala Lakota: $53.09 (union)Pennington: —Perkins: $53.09 (union)Potter: $53.09 (union)Roberts: $53.09 (union)Sanborn: $53.09 (union)Spink: $53.09 (union)Stanley: $53.09 (union)Sully: $53.09 (union)Todd: $53.09 (union)Tripp: $53.09 (union)Turner: —Union: —Walworth: $53.09 (union)Yankton: $53.09 (union)Ziebach: $53.09 (union)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.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
AuroraUnion ENGI0049-009 2024-09-01$34.38$18.71$53.09SD20260004
BeadleUnion ENGI0049-009 2024-09-01$34.38$18.71$53.09SD20260021
BennettUnion ENGI0049-009 2024-09-01$34.38$18.71$53.09SD20260022
Bon HommeUnion ENGI0049-009 2024-09-01$34.38$18.71$53.09SD20260023
BrookingsUnion ENGI0049-009 2024-09-01$34.38$18.71$53.09SD20260005
BrownUnion ENGI0049-009 2024-09-01$34.38$18.71$53.09SD20260006
BruleUnion ENGI0049-009 2024-09-01$34.38$18.71$53.09SD20260022
BuffaloUnion ENGI0049-009 2024-09-01$34.38$18.71$53.09SD20260007
ButteUnion ENGI0049-009 2024-09-01$34.38$18.71$53.09SD20260008
CampbellUnion ENGI0049-009 2024-09-01$34.38$18.71$53.09SD20260009
Charles MixUnion ENGI0049-009 2024-09-01$34.38$18.71$53.09SD20260010
ClarkUnion ENGI0049-009 2024-09-01$34.38$18.71$53.09SD20260021
ClayUnion ENGI0049-009 2024-09-01$34.38$18.71$53.09SD20260023
CodingtonUnion ENGI0049-009 2024-09-01$34.38$18.71$53.09SD20260011
CorsonUnion ENGI0049-009 2024-09-01$34.38$18.71$53.09SD20260024

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

Is construction work growing in South Dakota?

33.2kConstruction jobsSouth Dakota, 2026-08
+3.8%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-20260k10k20k30k40k1990199520002005201020152020202533kAug 2026
Construction employment in South Dakota (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
Faulk County6$80,437$1,547
Douglas County50$79,526$1,529
Hutchinson County108$75,967$1,461
Minnehaha County5,743$75,174$1,446
Davison County732$72,715$1,398
Sanborn County18$71,733$1,379
Grant County228$70,411$1,354
Pennington County2,950$68,558$1,318
Deuel County105$65,955$1,268
Codington County664$65,288$1,256
Meade County612$64,894$1,248
Hamlin County293$64,695$1,244

Keep comparing

Crane operator pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in South Dakota

Questions this page answers

How much do crane operators make in South Dakota?

The median crane operator in South Dakota earned $34.13 an hour ($71,000 a year) in May 2025, 4% above the national median of $32.73. The middle half earn $29.37–$37.24; the top 10% earn more than $45.00.

Where does South Dakota rank for crane operator pay?

South Dakota ranks 22nd of 50 states for crane operator pay, with a median of $34.13 an hour, and 15th after adjusting for South Dakota's cost of living (BEA price parity 88.6, US = 100).

What is the union crane operator rate in South Dakota?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for crane operators in 58 counties, with a typical package of $53.09 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many crane operators work in South Dakota?

BLS counted 120 crane and tower operators in South Dakota in May 2025, 0.3 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.95; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, South Dakota 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.