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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2016

53-7021 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. Excludes "Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators" (53-7032).

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
45,020 3.0 % $26.58 $55,280 1.1 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $15.18 $18.80 $25.08 $32.17 $39.71
Annual Wage (2) $31,570 $39,110 $52,170 $66,910 $82,600

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Other Specialty Trade Contractors 9,510 1.48 $30.79 $64,040
Support Activities for Water Transportation 2,700 2.93 $28.17 $58,580
Nonresidential Building Construction 2,580 0.34 $28.98 $60,290
Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing 2,310 2.75 $24.42 $50,790
Miscellaneous Durable Goods Merchant Wholesalers 1,940 0.68 $20.39 $42,410

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Support Activities for Water Transportation 2,700 2.93 $28.17 $58,580
Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing 2,310 2.75 $24.42 $50,790
Support Activities for Rail Transportation 880 2.59 $24.37 $50,690
Steel Product Manufacturing from Purchased Steel 1,360 2.41 $21.60 $44,930
Other Specialty Trade Contractors 9,510 1.48 $30.79 $64,040

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Remediation and Other Waste Management Services (8) (8) $33.93 $70,570
Oil and Gas Extraction 80 0.05 $31.36 $65,220
Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction 1,680 0.51 $31.28 $65,060
Other Specialty Trade Contractors 9,510 1.48 $30.79 $64,040
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 210 0.05 $29.58 $61,530

Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Texas 8,110 0.69 2.15 $26.17 $54,430
Louisiana 3,110 1.62 5.04 $23.20 $48,250
California 2,900 0.18 0.57 $30.38 $63,190
Pennsylvania 2,840 0.49 1.54 $25.59 $53,220
Florida 2,210 0.27 0.84 $23.81 $49,530




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Louisiana 3,110 1.62 5.04 $23.20 $48,250
Texas 8,110 0.69 2.15 $26.17 $54,430
Alabama 1,200 0.63 1.96 $24.07 $50,070
Iowa 950 0.62 1.93 $23.66 $49,200
Indiana 1,830 0.61 1.91 $25.78 $53,620




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York 1,390 0.15 0.48 $48.60 $101,100
Alaska 100 0.30 0.95 $40.04 $83,280
Hawaii 190 0.30 0.92 $35.78 $74,430
New Jersey 740 0.19 0.58 $33.85 $70,400
Washington 1,250 0.41 1.27 $33.48 $69,640





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 2,700 0.92 2.87 $27.98 $58,210
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 1,350 0.56 1.74 $23.63 $49,150
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 990 0.23 0.73 $30.39 $63,220
New York-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 930 0.14 0.44 $52.69 $109,590
Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metropolitan Division 920 0.25 0.79 $20.12 $41,860
New Orleans-Metairie, LA 910 1.64 5.11 $24.67 $51,320
Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division 820 0.92 2.86 $26.99 $56,130
Baton Rouge, LA 740 1.86 5.82 $22.75 $47,310
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 730 0.38 1.19 $31.23 $64,960
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metropolitan Division 710 0.45 1.39 $33.64 $69,970




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Houma-Thibodaux, LA 350 3.87 12.08 $22.28 $46,340
Gary, IN Metropolitan Division 670 2.52 7.86 $26.82 $55,780
Lake Charles, LA 250 2.41 7.53 $25.14 $52,290
Decatur, AL 120 2.25 7.01 $28.89 $60,100
Mobile, AL 390 2.24 7.00 $27.51 $57,230
Lafayette, LA 440 2.16 6.72 $22.86 $47,550
Saginaw, MI 180 2.14 6.67 $27.31 $56,810
Owensboro, KY 100 2.14 6.66 $23.15 $48,160
Baton Rouge, LA 740 1.86 5.82 $22.75 $47,310
New Orleans-Metairie, LA 910 1.64 5.11 $24.67 $51,320




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 930 0.14 0.44 $52.69 $109,590
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY (8) (8) (8) $43.83 $91,160
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA 40 0.24 0.75 $43.71 $90,910
Anchorage, AK (8) (8) (8) $43.09 $89,630
Santa Rosa, CA (8) (8) (8) $41.32 $85,940
Urban Honolulu, HI 120 0.26 0.82 $38.55 $80,180
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA 30 0.04 0.11 $37.77 $78,560
Newark, NJ-PA Metropolitan Division 380 0.33 1.02 $36.59 $76,100
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 60 0.19 0.61 $35.04 $72,880
Fort Wayne, IN (8) (8) (8) $33.93 $70,580

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area 310 1.34 4.17 $18.87 $39,250
West Texas nonmetropolitan area 280 1.44 4.48 $28.57 $59,430
Northeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 210 0.90 2.81 $20.61 $42,860
North Texas nonmetropolitan area 190 0.71 2.22 $21.46 $44,630
North Northeastern Ohio non-metropolitan area (non-contiguous) 190 0.57 1.78 $23.27 $48,400

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation: