Occupational Employment Statistics

DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

53-7021 Crane and Tower Operators

Occupational Description:
Operate mechanical boom and cable or tower and cable equipment to lift and move materials, machines, or products in many directions. Excludes “Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators" (53-7032).

Occupational Employment Statistics(OES) Wage Data
First Quarter 2026

Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Northwest Minnesota

Leading Industries for Crane and Tower Operators

Industry	OES Employment (Statewide)	OES Median Wage (Statewide)
Natural Resources and Mining	N/A	N/A
Construction	180	$56.24/hr
Manufacturing	110	$30.24/hr
Trade, Transportation and Utilities	50	$26.47/hr
Professional and Business Services	N/A	N/A
Public Administration	N/A	N/A

Other Regional Data for Crane and Tower Operators

Geography	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Northwest Minnesota	N/A	N/A	N/A
Northeast Balance of State	N/A	N/A	N/A
Grand Forks ND-MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
La Crosse WI-MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Rochester MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Northwest Balance of State	N/A	N/A	N/A
Southwest Balance of State	20	$34.81/hr	N/A
Southeast Balance of State	20	$32.73/hr	N/A
Southeast Minnesota	30	$32.73/hr	N/A
St Cloud MN MSA	30	$28.34/hr	N/A
Southwest Minnesota	40	$32.73/hr	3.1%
Duluth MN-WI MSA	40	$36.96/hr	N/A
Fargo ND-MN MSA	40	$40.27/hr	N/A
Northeast Minnesota	40	$36.96/hr	-8.3%
Central Minnesota	60	$35.88/hr	N/A
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	150	$54.05/hr	1.6%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA	180	$48.91/hr	N/A
Minnesota	370	$39.76/hr	3.7%

Related Occupations

Occupations	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining	520	$30.25/hr	3.1%
Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators	760	$24.51/hr	3.6%
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators	8,590	$39.07/hr	9.9%
Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas	340	$31.50/hr	10.0%
Pile Driver Operators	N/A	N/A	N/A
Hoist and Winch Operators	60	$38.52/hr	-12.5%
Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers	N/A	N/A	N/A
Continuous Mining Machine Operators	420	$44.84/hr	N/A
Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners	240	$30.71/hr	11.8%
Logging Equipment Operators	320	$28.93/hr	-3.5%

Task for Crane and Tower Operators

Inspect cables or grappling devices for wear and install or replace cables, as needed.
Inspect and adjust crane mechanisms or lifting accessories to prevent malfunctions or damage.
Review daily work or delivery schedules to determine orders, sequences of deliveries, or special loading instructions.
Move levers, depress foot pedals, or turn dials to operate cranes, cherry pickers, electromagnets, or other moving equipment for lifting, moving, or placing loads.
Weigh bundles, using floor scales, and record weights for company records.
Clean, lubricate, and maintain mechanisms such as cables, pulleys, or grappling devices, making repairs, as necessary.
Load or unload bundles from trucks, or move containers to storage bins, using moving equipment.
Determine load weights and check them against lifting capacities to prevent overload.
Determine load weights and check them against lifting capacities to prevent overload.
Inspect bundle packaging for conformance to regulations or customer requirements, and remove and batch packaging tickets.