# Crane and Tower Operators

US SOC code 53-7021. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/53-7021

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **42,890** US crane and tower operators, with median pay of **$68,080** a year. The earliest figure here is [a Census count](https://usa.ipums.org/usa/volii/92occup.shtml) of **44,000** from 1920, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for crane and tower operators: Hydraulic mobile crane and load-moment indicators, 1985 to 2010.

Figures: Official statistic (latest count and pay); Researched context (earliest figure).

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 3.8% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=53-7021&ioType=o) (Official statistic).

### AI exposure studies

- **2.6%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv) (Official statistic)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35.

## Crane and Tower Operators employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1870
- Latest US employment: 42,890 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [4]
- Latest US median pay: $68,080 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [5]
- Outlook: +3.8% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [15]

### All 26 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1920 | 44,000 | n/a | Decennial Census 1920 [1] |
| 1950 | 62,000 | n/a | Decennial Census 1950 [2] |
| 1980 | 68,000 | n/a | Decennial Census 1980 [3] |
| 2003 | 47,420 | $37,150 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [4] |
| 2004 | 43,570 | $37,410 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [4] |
| 2005 | 43,690 | $38,870 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [4] |
| 2006 | 45,740 | $39,040 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [4] |
| 2007 | 45,720 | $40,260 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [4] |
| 2008 | 44,490 | $41,870 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [4] |
| 2009 | 40,770 | $44,140 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [4] |
| 2010 | 39,510 | $46,230 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [4] |
| 2011 | 41,070 | $46,460 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [4] |
| 2012 | 43,040 | $47,290 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [4] |
| 2013 | 41,580 | $48,630 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [4] |
| 2014 | 44,540 | $50,720 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [4] |
| 2015 | 46,490 | $51,650 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [4] |
| 2016 | 45,020 | $52,170 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [4] |
| 2017 | 43,660 | $52,200 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [4] |
| 2018 | 44,410 | $54,140 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [4] |
| 2019 | 45,480 | $56,690 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [4] |
| 2020 | 44,060 | $59,710 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [4] |
| 2021 | 43,400 | $62,240 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [4] |
| 2022 | 45,210 | $61,340 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [4] |
| 2023 | 42,260 | $64,690 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [4] |
| 2024 | 42,000 | $66,370 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [4] |
| 2025 | 42,890 | $68,080 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [4] |

## Sources (68)

### Employment series

1. [IPUMS USA 1920 Occupation Codes — Code 166: Cranemen, derrickmen, hoistmen, etc. (Manufacturing and Mechanical Industries)](https://usa.ipums.org/usa/volii/92occup.shtml), IPUMS / University of Minnesota
2. [US Census Bureau — Alphabetic Index of Occupations and Industries, 1950 (cranemen, derrickmen, hoistmen classification)](https://usa.ipums.org/usa/resources/volii/Occupations1950.pdf), US Census Bureau / IPUMS
3. [US Census Bureau — Detailed Occupation of the Experienced Civilian Labor Force by Sex for the United States and Regions, 1980 and 1970 (PC80-S1-15)](https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1984/demo/pc80-s1-15.html), US Census Bureau
4. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

5. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Tool eras

6. [NexGen Crane and Rigging — "The History of the Crane Industry" (steam cranes first developed 1820s)](https://nexgencrane.com/the-history-of-the-crane-industry/), NexGen Crane and Rigging
7. [LaGrange Crane Service — "When Were Cranes Invented? A History of Construction Cranes" (Armstrong hydraulic crane 1838; steam era)](https://lagrangecrane.com/blog/when-were-cranes-invented-a-history-of-construction-cranes/), LaGrange Crane Service
8. [International Union of Operating Engineers — "Our History" (1912 name change to reflect diesel, gas, and electric technologies)](https://www.iuoe.org/about-iuoe/our-history/), International Union of Operating Engineers
9. [Astro Crane — "The Evolution of the Tower Crane" (electric power transition, 1970s)](https://www.astrocrane.com/the-evolution-of-the-tower-crane/), Astro Crane
10. [AE History — "1949: Tower Cranes" (Liebherr TK-10 presented at Frankfurt Trade Fair)](https://aehistory.wordpress.com/1949/10/04/1949-tower-cranes/), AE History
11. [OSHA Cranes and Derricks in Construction — Overview (1926 Subpart CC, load capacity and inspection requirements)](https://www.osha.gov/cranes-derricks-construction), Occupational Safety and Health Administration
12. [Wikipedia — National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO founded 1995; OSHA certification mandate 2018)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Commission_for_the_Certification_of_Crane_Operators), Wikipedia
13. [GEP — "How Autonomous Cranes Make Construction Smarter and Safer" (remote operation and AI-assisted lifting, 2024)](https://www.gep.com/blog/mind/autonomous-cranes-are-making-construction-smarter-and-safer), GEP
14. [Robotics and Automation News — "Heavy equipment manufacturers are using robotics to change crane trucks" (March 2026)](https://roboticsandautomationnews.com/2026/03/27/heavy-equipment-manufacturers-are-using-robotics-to-change-crane-trucks/100187/), Robotics and Automation News

### Forecasts and exposure studies

15. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 53-7021 Crane and tower operators (2025: 42.9 thousand; 2035: 44.5 thousand; +3.8%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=53-7021&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
16. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 53-7021.00, human-rated β 0.026)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

17. [International Union of Operating Engineers — "Our History" (founding December 7, 1896, Chicago)](https://www.iuoe.org/about-iuoe/our-history/), International Union of Operating Engineers
18. [Wikipedia — International Union of Operating Engineers (name change 1928, steam technology transition)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Union_of_Operating_Engineers), Wikipedia
19. [AE History — "1949: Tower Cranes" (Liebherr TK-10 presented at Frankfurt Trade Fair)](https://aehistory.wordpress.com/1949/10/04/1949-tower-cranes/), AE History
20. [Wikipedia — National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (established January 1995)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Commission_for_the_Certification_of_Crane_Operators), Wikipedia
21. [OSHA — Cranes and Derricks in Construction overview, 29 CFR 1926 Subpart CC (effective 2010; certification mandate 2018)](https://www.osha.gov/cranes-derricks-construction), Occupational Safety and Health Administration

### Predecessors & successors

22. [International Union of Operating Engineers — "Our History" (founding 1896: stationary and hoisting engineers)](https://www.iuoe.org/about-iuoe/our-history/), International Union of Operating Engineers

### Present-day analysis

- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-21
- [O\*NET 30.3 — US Department of Labor](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), accessed 2026-05-21

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.