Occupational Employment Statistics

DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

53-7041 Hoist and Winch Operators

Occupational Description:
Operate or tend hoists or winches to lift and pull loads using power-operated cable equipment. Excludes “Crane and Tower Operators" (53-7021).

Occupational Employment Statistics(OES) Wage Data
First Quarter 2025

Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Minnesota	70	27	$32.82/hr	$24.43/hr	$31.99/hr	$32.00/hr	$37.17/hr	$37.17/hr

Leading Industries for Hoist and Winch Operators

Industry	OES Employment (Statewide)	OES Median Wage (Statewide)
Natural Resources and Mining	N/A	N/A
Manufacturing	N/A	N/A
Trade, Transportation and Utilities	N/A	N/A
Public Administration	N/A	N/A

Other Regional Data for Hoist and Winch Operators

Geography	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Central Minnesota	N/A	N/A	N/A
Northeast Minnesota	N/A	N/A	N/A
Southwest Minnesota	N/A	N/A	N/A
Duluth MN-WI 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
St Cloud MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	60	$37.17/hr	N/A
Minnesota	70	$32.00/hr	-12.5%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA	70	$32.00/hr	N/A

Related Occupations

Occupations	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators	8,290	$38.50/hr	9.9%
Logging Equipment Operators	340	$24.06/hr	-3.5%
Crane and Tower Operators	170	$32.79/hr	3.7%
Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining	740	$38.73/hr	3.1%
Helpers--Extraction Workers	N/A	N/A	N/A
Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall	1,120	$27.46/hr	7.3%
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	5,570	$24.90/hr	-3.5%
Tree Trimmers and Pruners	140	$33.26/hr	N/A
Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	140	$25.89/hr	-5.3%
Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers	N/A	N/A	N/A

Task for Hoist and Winch Operators

Attach, fasten, and disconnect cables or lines to loads, materials, and equipment, using hand tools.
Start engines of hoists or winches and use levers and pedals to wind or unwind cable on drums.
Signal and assist other workers loading or unloading materials.
Move levers, pedals, and throttles to stop, start, and regulate speeds of hoist or winch drums in response to hand, bell, buzzer, telephone, loud-speaker, or whistle signals, or by observing dial indicators or cable marks.
Apply hand or foot brakes and move levers to lock hoists or winches.
Tend auxiliary equipment, such as jacks, slings, cables, or stop blocks, to facilitate moving items or materials for further processing.
Move or reposition hoists, winches, loads and materials, manually or using equipment and machines such as trucks, cars, and hand trucks.
Select loads or materials according to weight and size specifications.
Operate compressed air, diesel, electric, gasoline, or steam-driven hoists or winches to control movement of cableways, cages, derricks, draglines, loaders, railcars, or skips.
Observe equipment gauges and indicators and hand signals of other workers to verify load positions or depths.