Set up cables, slings, and pulleys to lift and move heavy loads safely with cranes and hoists.
Construction sites, ports, and stages
Full time, 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 plus certification.
No state license; riggers are often NCCCO-certified.
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.
Rigs and moves heavy loads with cranes and cables, work where a mistake can be deadly.
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Standard Occupational Classification 49-9096. 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.