SOC 53-7021 · Transportation and Material Moving Occupations · May 2025

How much do Crane and Tower Operators make in Fort Smith, AR-OK?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Crane and Tower Operators in Fort Smith, AR-OK is $44,330. The 10th percentile is $39,400 and the 90th percentile is $64,100. Employment is 90.

Median annual wage

$44,330

10th percentile
$39,400
25th percentile
$40,230
Median
$44,330
75th percentile
$64,100
90th percentile
$64,100
Mean
$49,450

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

A U.S. Air Force firefighter standing beside a fire truck
Senior Airman Stephen Czech, a firefighter at Spangdahlem Air Base, in 2021. Photograph by Staff Sgt. Susan Roberts, U.S. Air Force. Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Percentile spread

For Crane and Tower Operators, the published 10th percentile is $39,400 and the 90th percentile is $64,100. The difference is $24,700, which is 55.7% 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 $40,230 to the 75th at $64,100, covers $23,870.

The mean annual wage is $49,450, which sits above the median of $44,330. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Fort Smith, AR-OK median is 34.9% lower than the national median of $68,080 for Crane and Tower Operators. In 2024 national prices the local median is $51,614, which is 24.2% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 6.6% higher than the Arkansas median of $41,600.

Fort Smith, AR-OK covers more than one state. The state comparison uses Arkansas, the primary state on the BLS area record.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Fort Smith, AR-OK is 85.888, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $44,330 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Crane and Tower Operators at $51,614 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

4 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Crane and Tower Operators. Fort Smith, AR-OK ranks 4th of 5 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).).

  • Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR is 52 miles away, with a median of $46,430. That median is 4.7% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $50,825, against $51,614 here.
  • Tulsa, OK is 112 miles away, with a median of $76,400 and employment of 200. That median is 72.3% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $85,637, against $51,614 here.
  • Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR is 125 miles away, with a median of $42,380. That median is 4.4% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $47,424, against $51,614 here.

Employment share

Crane and Tower Operators accounts for 0.09% of wage-and-salary employment in Fort Smith, AR-OK (90 of 95,560). Nationally the occupation is 0.03% of employment (42,890 of 155,495,730). The local share is 3.41 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.

Highest-paying jobs in Fort Smith, AR-OK · Crane and Tower Operators by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices

Questions this page answers

How much do Crane and Tower Operators make in Fort Smith, AR-OK?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Crane and Tower Operators in Fort Smith, AR-OK is $44,330. The 10th percentile is $39,400 and the 90th percentile is $64,100. Employment is 90.

How does that compare with the national median for Crane and Tower Operators?

The local median is 34.9% lower than the national median of $68,080.

What is Crane and Tower Operators pay in Fort Smith, AR-OK after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Fort Smith, AR-OK is 85.888, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $44,330 is $51,614. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Fort Smith, AR-OK compare with nearby metros for Crane and Tower Operators?

Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 52 miles away, at $46,430. Fort Smith, AR-OK ranks 4th of 5 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.