Skilled Wages

Crane operator salary in Virginia

Median $32.02 an hour for 1,120 crane and tower operators, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$32.02/hrMedian hourly wageVirginia, May data
$66,600/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$20.54 – $42.5410th to 90th percentilehourly range
1,120Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Crane operator pay in Virginia: the full range

Wage percentiles, VirginiaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrVirginia: 10th $20.54 · 25th $26.33 · median $32.02 · 75th $37.32 · 90th $42.54Virginia$32.02$20.54$42.54United 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: Virginia vs United States, May 2025.

Virginia ranks 27th of 50 states for median crane operator pay, and 38th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $31.67). 1,120 crane and tower operators work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$20.54 – $26.33$42,720 – $54,770roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$26.33 – $37.32$54,770 – $77,630the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$37.32 – $42.54$77,630 – $88,480the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Crane operator pay by metro in Virginia

Ranked median wages$0$20$40$60/hrWashington DC: $44.29Washington DC$44.29Virginia Beach: $34.33Virginia Beach$34.33Winchester: $30.52Winchester$30.52Richmond: $29.41Richmond$29.41Roanoke: $25.26Roanoke$25.26
Median hourly wage for crane and tower operators by metro area in Virginia, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
Washington DC$29.95$44.29$45.5341038% above
Virginia Beach$25.69$34.33$42.024307% above
Winchester$19.75$30.52$42.29405% below
Richmond$19.48$29.41$38.161708% below
Roanoke$17.30$25.26$38.934021% below

Crane operator wages in Virginia over time

Virginia, 1999-2025VirginiaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$20$30$40200020052010201520202025$32.73United States$32.02Virginia
Median hourly wage for crane and tower operators, Virginia vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearVirginia $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$15.32$29.60$15.291,940
2000$16.12$30.14$15.891,770
2001$16.99$30.89$16.641,850
2002$17.71$31.69$17.471,890
2003$18.83$32.95$17.861,420
2004$18.00$30.68$17.991,380
2005$17.46$28.78$18.691,400
2006$19.32$30.85$18.771,580
2007$19.54$30.34$19.361,780
2008$20.61$30.82$20.131,680
2009$20.88$31.33$21.221,620
2010$23.36$34.49$22.231,600
2011$23.83$34.11$22.341,570
2012$24.88$34.89$22.731,670
2013$24.92$34.44$23.381,450
2014$25.82$35.11$24.391,400
2015$26.19$35.57$24.831,090
2016$26.37$35.37$25.08910
2017$28.79$37.81$25.101,220
2018$29.32$37.59$26.031,510
2019$29.43$37.06$27.261,550
2020$29.30$36.45$28.711,450
2021$30.36$36.07$29.921,270
2022$29.62$32.58$29.491,310
2023$31.27$33.04$31.101,070
2024$31.44$32.27$31.911,280
2025$32.02$32.02$32.731,120

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

Union scale and prevailing wage for crane operators in Virginia

On federally funded construction in Virginia, contractors must pay crane operators at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 45 of the 57 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $58.04 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical $34.32). 12 of the 57 counties still use a survey rate dated 2016 or earlier (for example Arlington County at $34.59). The market median for the state is $32.02.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, VAAccomack: —Albemarle: $58.04 (union)Alleghany: —Amelia: $58.04 (union)Amherst: $58.04 (union)Appomattox: $58.04 (union)Arlington: $34.59 (survey)Augusta: $58.04 (union)Bath: —Bedford: $58.04 (union)Bland: —Botetourt: $58.04 (union)Brunswick: —Buchanan: —Buckingham: $58.04 (union)Campbell: $58.04 (union)Caroline: $58.04 (union)Carroll: —Charles City: $58.04 (union)Charlotte: —Chesterfield: $58.04 (union)Clarke: $34.32 (survey)Craig: $58.04 (union)Culpeper: $34.32 (survey)Cumberland: —Dickenson: —Dinwiddie: $58.04 (union)Essex: —Fairfax: $35.16 (survey)Fauquier: $34.32 (survey)Floyd: $58.04 (union)Fluvanna: $58.04 (union)Franklin: $58.04 (union)Frederick: $34.32 (survey)Giles: $58.04 (union)Gloucester: $58.04 (union)Goochland: $58.04 (union)Grayson: —Greene: $58.04 (union)Greensville: —Halifax: —Hanover: $58.04 (union)Henrico: $58.04 (union)Henry: —Highland: —Isle of Wight: $58.04 (union)James City: $58.04 (union)King and Queen: —King George: —King William: $58.04 (union)Lancaster: —Lee: —Loudoun: $34.32 (survey)Louisa: —Lunenburg: —Madison: —Mathews: $58.04 (union)Mecklenburg: —Middlesex: —Montgomery: $58.04 (union)Nelson: $58.04 (union)New Kent: $58.04 (union)Northampton: —Northumberland: —Nottoway: —Orange: —Page: —Patrick: —Pittsylvania: —Powhatan: $58.04 (union)Prince Edward: —Prince George: $58.04 (union)Prince William: $34.32 (survey)Pulaski: $58.04 (union)Rappahannock: $34.32 (survey)Richmond: —Roanoke: $58.04 (union)Rockbridge: —Rockingham: $58.04 (union)Russell: —Scott: $58.04 (union)Shenandoah: —Smyth: —Southampton: —Spotsylvania: $34.32 (survey)Stafford: $34.32 (survey)Surry: —Sussex: $58.04 (union)Tazewell: —Warren: $34.32 (survey)Washington: $58.04 (union)Westmoreland: —Wise: —Wythe: —York: $58.04 (union)Alexandria: —Bristol: —Buena Vista: —Charlottesville: —Chesapeake: —Colonial Heights: —Covington: —Danville: —Emporia: —Fairfax: —Falls Church: —Franklin: —Fredericksburg: —Galax: —Hampton: $58.04 (union)Harrisonburg: —Hopewell: —Lexington: —Lynchburg: —Manassas: —Manassas Park: —Martinsville: —Newport News: $58.04 (union)Norfolk: $58.04 (union)Norton: —Petersburg: —Poquoson: —Portsmouth: $58.04 (union)Radford: —Richmond: —Roanoke: —Salem: —Staunton: —Suffolk: $58.04 (union)Virginia Beach: $58.04 (union)Waynesboro: —Williamsburg: —Winchester: —Union / prevailing package, $/hr$39.74n/asurvey rate
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)Prevailing (survey)$20$30$40$50$60$70/hrBotetourt (Roanoke): market median $25.26, prevailing (union) $58.04, gap +$32.78Botetourt (Roanoke)+$32.78Amelia (Richmond): market median $29.41, prevailing (union) $58.04, gap +$28.63Amelia (Richmond)+$28.63Albemarle (Virginia): market median $32.02, prevailing (union) $58.04, gap +$26.02Albemarle (Virginia)+$26.02Gloucester (Virginia Beach): market median $34.33, prevailing (union) $58.04, gap +$23.71Gloucester (Virginia Beach)+$23.71Frederick (Winchester): market median $30.52, prevailing (survey) $34.32, gap +$3.80Frederick (Winchester)+$3.80Fairfax (Washington DC): market median $44.29, prevailing (survey) $35.16, gap −$9.13Fairfax (Washington DC)−$9.13
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for crane operators, metro counties in Virginia.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
AlbemarleUnion ENGI0147-019 2025-06-01$39.99$18.05$58.04VA20260011
AmeliaUnion ENGI0147-019 2025-06-01$39.99$18.05$58.04VA20260170
AmherstUnion ENGI0147-019 2025-06-01$39.99$18.05$58.04VA20260171
AppomattoxUnion ENGI0147-019 2025-06-01$39.99$18.05$58.04VA20260012
AugustaUnion ENGI0147-019 2025-06-01$39.99$18.05$58.04VA20260014
BedfordUnion ENGI0147-019 2025-06-01$39.99$18.05$58.04VA20260171
BotetourtUnion ENGI0147-019 2025-06-01$39.99$18.05$58.04VA20260172
BuckinghamUnion ENGI0147-019 2025-06-01$39.99$18.05$58.04VA20260173
CampbellUnion ENGI0147-019 2025-06-01$39.99$18.05$58.04VA20260171
CarolineUnion ENGI0147-019 2025-06-01$39.99$18.05$58.04VA20260015
Charles CityUnion ENGI0147-019 2025-06-01$39.99$18.05$58.04VA20260170
ChesterfieldUnion ENGI0147-019 2025-06-01$39.99$18.05$58.04VA20260017
CraigUnion ENGI0147-019 2025-06-01$39.99$18.05$58.04VA20260172
DinwiddieUnion ENGI0147-019 2025-06-01$39.99$18.05$58.04VA20260019
FloydUnion ENGI0147-019 2025-06-01$39.99$18.05$58.04VA20260175

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

Is construction work growing in Virginia?

231.3kConstruction jobsVirginia, 2026-08
-1.4%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-2026100k150k200k250k300k19901995200020052010201520202025231kAug 2026
Construction employment in Virginia (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
Goochland County666$106,792$2,054
Arlington County336$104,574$2,011
Lexington City4$104,428$2,008
Loudoun County19,752$103,592$1,992
Northumberland County97$101,173$1,946
New Kent County276$92,843$1,785
Manassas City1,620$91,326$1,756
Newport News City3,274$89,428$1,720
Alexandria City1,070$85,539$1,645
Henrico County9,415$84,149$1,618
Fairfax County12,936$83,139$1,599
Louisa County596$83,083$1,598

Keep comparing

Crane operator pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Virginia

Questions this page answers

How much do crane operators make in Virginia?

The median crane operator in Virginia earned $32.02 an hour ($66,600 a year) in May 2025, 2% below the national median of $32.73. The middle half earn $26.33–$37.32; the top 10% earn more than $42.54.

Where does Virginia rank for crane operator pay?

Virginia ranks 27th of 50 states for crane operator pay, with a median of $32.02 an hour, and 38th after adjusting for Virginia's cost of living (BEA price parity 101.1, US = 100).

What is the union crane operator rate in Virginia?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for crane operators in 45 counties, with a typical package of $58.04 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many crane operators work in Virginia?

BLS counted 1,120 crane and tower operators in Virginia in May 2025, 0.3 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.99; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

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