How much do Crane and Tower Operators make in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

Percentile spread

For Crane and Tower Operators, the published 10th percentile is $40,290 and the 90th percentile is $107,760. The difference is $67,470, which is 120.7% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $41,460 to the 75th at $67,440, covers $25,980.

The mean annual wage is $62,560, which sits above the median of $55,890. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median is 17.9% lower than the national median of $68,080 for Crane and Tower Operators. In 2024 national prices the local median is $53,950, which is 20.8% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 9.6% lower than the Illinois median of $61,820.

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN covers more than one state. The state comparison uses Illinois, the primary state on the BLS area record.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is 103.595, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $55,890 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Crane and Tower Operators at $53,950 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

9 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Crane and Tower Operators. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN ranks 5th of 10 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

• Rockford, IL is 73 miles away, with a median of $49,400 and employment of 40. That median is 11.6% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $53,606, against $53,950 here.
• Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI is 80 miles away, with a median of $59,430 and employment of 90. That median is 6.3% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $61,308, against $53,950 here.
• South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI is 89 miles away, with a median of $49,440 and employment of 40. That median is 11.5% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $53,243, against $53,950 here.

Employment share

Crane and Tower Operators accounts for 0.04% of wage-and-salary employment in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (1,880 of 4,513,280). Nationally the occupation is 0.03% of employment (42,890 of 155,495,730). The local share is 1.51 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.