Operate cranes to lift and move heavy materials on construction and industrial sites.
Construction sites, ports, and plants.
Full-time, with early starts and some overtime
May 2024–25 BLS wage data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.
Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.
“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.
High school / no degree
Training path: On-the-job training, paid.
Crane operators must earn a certification, and many states also require a license.
You can earn while you train. This field has a genuinely paid pathway in — an apprenticeship, a paid academy, or employer-funded training — so you draw a paycheck instead of taking on debt to learn it.
Skilled, well-paid construction work you can enter from high school with certification.
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Standard Occupational Classification 53-7021. Pay, employment, and outlook from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wage survey and 2024–34 employment projections). See something off? Tell us.