Transportation and material moving
Crane and tower operators
Operate mechanical boom and cable or tower and cable equipment to lift and move materials, machines, or products in many directions.
Median pay
$68,080
Growth to 2035
+4%
about as fast as average
Openings a year
3,500
Time to qualify*
2.5 years
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Crane and tower operators
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- Less than 5 years
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Outdoors in all weather
Hazardous conditions
Crane and tower operators: 77% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Move levers, depress foot pedals, or turn dials to operate cranes, cherry pickers, electromagnets, or other moving equipment for lifting, moving, or placing loads.
- Inspect crane site conditions to determine ground stability.
- Inspect and adjust crane mechanisms or lifting accessories to prevent malfunctions or damage.
- Direct helpers engaged in placing blocking or outrigging under cranes.
- Determine load weights and check them against lifting capacities to prevent overload.
- Clean, lubricate, and maintain mechanisms such as cables, pulleys, or grappling devices, making repairs, as necessary.
- Inspect cables or grappling devices for wear and install or replace cables, as needed.
- Load or unload bundles from trucks, or move containers to storage bins, using moving equipment.
Also called: Crane Operator · Equipment Operator · Heavy Equipment Operator · Machine Operator · Mobile Crane Operator · Overhead Crane Operator · Port Crane Operator · Scrap Crane Operator
Outlook and AI
Crane and tower operators held 42,900 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 44,500 by 2035 (+4%, about as fast as average; all jobs: +3.5%).
Compare with
- Crane and tower operators vs. Hoist and winch operators
- Crane and tower operators vs. Industrial truck and tractor operators
- Crane and tower operators vs. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Crane and tower operators vs. Excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining
- Crane and tower operators vs. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
- Crane and tower operators vs. Rigger
- Crane and tower operators vs. Loading and moving machine operators, underground mining
- Crane and tower operators vs. Pile driver operator
- Crane and tower operators vs. Continuous mining machine operator
- Crane and tower operators vs. Tank car, truck, and ship loaders