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Crane and Tower Operators · SOC 53-7021

Crane and Tower Operators Salary in the Durham Metro Area

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area

Figures describe the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metropolitan statistical area as defined by BLS/OMB — the whole multi-county metro region, not Durham city limits.

Median annual wage$73,710
Median hourly wage$35.44

Crane and Tower Operators in the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area earned a median of $73,710 per year ($35.44 per hour) as of the May 2025 BLS OEWS estimates. Pay ranged from $53,440 at the 10th percentile to $82,860 at the 90th. BLS estimates 40 people work in this occupation in the area.

Pay distribution

Half of Crane and Tower Operators in the Durham metro area earn more than $73,710 per year, half earn less; the middle half earn between $62,550 and $79,320.

Wage percentiles (BLS OEWS)
Wage10th25thMedian75th90th
Annual$53,440$62,550$73,710$79,320$82,860
Hourly$25.69$30.07$35.44$38.14$39.84

A percentile is a cut point: 25% of workers in this occupation and area earn less than the 25th-percentile wage. The median is the 50th percentile — half earn less, half earn more.

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How this area compares

  • Durham metro areathis metro area
    $73,710
  • North Carolinastate (NC)
    $64,480
  • United Statesnational
    $68,080

Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.

The median here is +14% vs North Carolina overall and +8% vs the U.S. median for this occupation.

Compare with other areas

Where this metro sits nationally

$42,380$72,150$101,920$131,690Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR — $42,380Fort Smith, AR-OK — $44,330Montgomery, AL — $44,480Chattanooga, TN-GA — $45,280Decatur, AL — $45,640San Angelo, TX — $45,950St. Louis, MO-IL — $46,170Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR — $46,430Bangor, ME — $46,540Spartanburg, SC — $47,200Birmingham, AL — $47,620Shreveport-Bossier City, LA — $48,060Florence, SC — $48,100Tuscaloosa, AL — $48,870Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT — $48,920Rockford, IL — $49,400South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI — $49,440Monroe, MI — $49,480Dubuque, IA — $49,720Elkhart-Goshen, IN — $50,550Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA — $51,450Roanoke, VA — $52,540Memphis, TN-MS-AR — $53,600Brownsville-Harlingen, TX — $54,060Youngstown-Warren, OH — $54,300Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI — $54,560Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN — $55,000Monroe, LA — $55,770Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN — $55,890Tyler, TX — $55,930Anniston-Oxford, AL — $56,010McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX — $56,300Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH — $56,780Toledo, OH — $57,020Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA — $57,230Cleveland, OH — $57,620St. Cloud, MN — $57,680Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC — $58,370Knoxville, TN — $58,670Lafayette, LA — $58,780Oklahoma City, OK — $59,110Jackson, TN — $59,410Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI — $59,430Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI — $59,740Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL — $60,010Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA — $60,110Boise City, ID — $60,440College Station-Bryan, TX — $60,520Longview, TX — $60,830Tallahassee, FL — $61,040Richmond, VA — $61,180Waco, TX — $61,350Pittsburgh, PA — $61,510El Paso, TX — $62,280Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA — $62,910Paducah, KY-IL — $63,070Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ — $63,190Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC — $63,300Winchester, VA-WV — $63,480Jackson, MS — $63,610York-Hanover, PA — $63,680North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL — $63,780Sioux Falls, SD-MN — $63,960Evansville, IN — $64,100Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA — $64,500Gulfport-Biloxi, MS — $64,520Jacksonville, FL — $64,600Akron, OH — $64,650Greensboro-High Point, NC — $64,730Tucson, AZ — $64,750Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL — $64,840New Orleans-Metairie, LA — $65,490Mobile, AL — $65,510Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ — $65,750Columbia, SC — $65,870Baton Rouge, LA — $66,680Columbus, OH — $66,710Winston-Salem, NC — $67,280San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX — $68,200Eugene-Springfield, OR — $68,460Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX — $68,640Wilmington, NC — $68,670Omaha, NE-IA — $68,880Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL — $69,270Bakersfield-Delano, CA — $70,840Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT — $70,890Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC — $71,400Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA — $71,770Ogden, UT — $71,950Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD — $72,010Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN — $72,020Canton-Massillon, OH — $72,070Lancaster, PA — $72,150Raleigh-Cary, NC — $72,520Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ — $72,580Savannah, GA — $72,660Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL — $72,880Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY — $73,010Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX — $73,050Greeley, CO — $73,340Rocky Mount, NC — $73,420Durham-Chapel Hill, NC — $73,710Green Bay, WI — $73,780Lewiston-Auburn, ME — $74,040Lexington-Fayette, KY — $74,130Corpus Christi, TX — $74,200Portland-South Portland, ME — $74,650Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY — $74,700Duluth, MN-WI — $75,230Odessa, TX — $75,310Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX — $75,360Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX — $75,500Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA — $75,760Killeen-Temple, TX — $76,010Tulsa, OK — $76,400Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL — $76,510Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN — $76,750Saginaw, MI — $76,750Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC — $76,940Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL — $77,010Stockton-Lodi, CA — $77,130Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO — $77,200Vallejo, CA — $77,320Fresno, CA — $77,330Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL — $77,420Burlington-South Burlington, VT — $77,490Lincoln, NE — $77,500Casper, WY — $77,830Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT — $78,080Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL — $78,100Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA — $78,140Wichita, KS — $78,180Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA — $78,310Midland, TX — $79,220Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA — $79,500San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA — $79,720Salt Lake City-Murray, UT — $79,970Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA — $80,260Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA — $80,700Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN — $80,850Charleston-North Charleston, SC — $80,880Kansas City, MO-KS — $81,150Naples-Marco Island, FL — $81,280Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA — $81,490Las Cruces, NM — $81,830Fargo, ND-MN — $81,980Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH — $83,040Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD — $87,950Providence-Warwick, RI-MA — $89,880Springfield, MA — $90,320Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV — $92,120Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ — $96,510Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT — $97,740Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH — $98,140San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA — $98,410Reading, PA — $98,860New Haven, CT — $99,130Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA — $99,320Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI — $99,540New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ — $100,640Reno, NV — $101,160Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA — $114,330Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA — $116,840Kennewick-Richland, WA — $120,310Urban Honolulu, HI — $120,560Worcester, MA — $122,260Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV — $131,690

Each dot is one metro area with a published median — hover any dot for the name and figure. Metros without published estimates are not drawn.

The Durham metro area has the 66th-highest published median for this occupation among the 167 metro areas where BLS publishes it. Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.

Other metro areas in North Carolina

Metro areas in the same state with published May 2025 medians for crane and tower operators, highest first. Areas without published estimates are not listed.

  • Durham metro areathis page
    $73,710
  • Rocky Mount metro area
    $73,420
  • Raleigh metro area
    $72,520
  • Wilmington metro area
    $68,670
  • Winston-Salem metro area
    $67,280
  • Greensboro metro area
    $64,730
  • Charlotte metro area
    $63,300

Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.

Keep exploring

Other occupations in the same SOC group with published medians here, largest employment first:

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand$37,750Stockers and Order Fillers$36,410Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers$53,280Light Truck Drivers$40,730First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors$62,000Packers and Packagers, Hand$36,220

Highest-paying metro areas for crane and tower operatorss · Highest-paying occupations in Durham Metro

About this estimate

These figures are survey estimates from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — modeled from employer reports collected over three years and benchmarked to May 2025. They describe what employers in this area currently pay across all industries, not what any individual worker will be offered.

Employment counts wage-and-salary jobs in the occupation (self-employed workers are excluded). Estimates carry sampling error; percentile wages are rounded by BLS. Some values are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality or quality — suppressed values appear here as “not published”, never as zero. Read the full methodology.

About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.