Crane and Tower Operators
SOC 53-7021 · 2024-2034
Operate mechanical boom and cable or tower and cable equipment to lift and move materials, machines, or products in many directions.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
What California expects of this job
- Typical pay in California
- $81,312per year
- Projected openings
- 1,960
- Projected change
- +4.8%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Operation and Control
- Operations Monitoring
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Monitoring
- Judgment and Decision Making
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $85,325 | 110 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County) | $83,082 | 70 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $79,148 | 160 |
| Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County) | $73,146 | 120 |
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $71,672 | 180 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $65,136 | 170 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $63,284 | 640 |
| Stockton-Lodi MSA (San Joaquin County) | $60,680 | 60 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $58,222 | 150 |
What the pay actually ranges across
- The lowest-paid tenth earn under
- $51,657
- A quarter earn under
- $68,078
- Half earn under
- $81,312
- Three quarters earn under
- $103,068
- The highest-paid tenth earn over
- $138,793
A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| Occupation | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators | $48,816 | 100,140 | +11.4% |
| Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines | $80,771 | 18,430 | +6.8% |
| Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators | $89,521 | 33,360 | +7% |
| Riggers | $88,154 | 2,470 | +9.1% |
Programs that train for this job — 4
Mobile Crane Operations (Level 1)
Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Training Academy · Bakersfield · $1,799
Lathrop Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee
Lathrop Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee · Lathrop · $0
Certificate of Heavy Equipment Operations - Mobile Crane
Heavy Equipment Colleges of America · San Bernardino · $11,492
Forklift Certification
Harbor Occupational Center - LAUSD · San Pedro · $539