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

How much do Crane and Tower Operators make in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Crane and Tower Operators in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN is $80,850. The 10th percentile is $38,810 and the 90th percentile is $92,590. Employment is 170.

Median annual wage

$80,850

10th percentile
$38,810
25th percentile
$48,360
Median
$80,850
75th percentile
$89,660
90th percentile
$92,590
Mean
$72,090

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

A welder at work with a torch
A welder at a bench, 2014. Photograph by Chetan Menaria. Wikimedia Commons · CC0

Percentile spread

For Crane and Tower Operators, the published 10th percentile is $38,810 and the 90th percentile is $92,590. The difference is $53,780, which is 66.5% 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 $48,360 to the 75th at $89,660, covers $41,300.

The mean annual wage is $72,090, which sits below the median of $80,850. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN median is 18.8% higher than the national median of $68,080 for Crane and Tower Operators. In 2024 national prices the local median is $86,866, which is 27.6% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 30.4% higher than the Kentucky median of $62,000.

Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN covers more than one state. The state comparison uses Kentucky, the primary state on the BLS area record.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN is 93.074, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $80,850 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Crane and Tower Operators at $86,866 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

10 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Crane and Tower Operators. Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN ranks 2nd of 11 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).).

  • Lexington-Fayette, KY is 69 miles away, with a median of $74,130 and employment of 50. That median is 8.3% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $79,805, against $86,866 here.
  • Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN is 89 miles away, with a median of $55,000 and employment of 210. That median is 32% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $57,670, against $86,866 here.
  • Evansville, IN is 103 miles away, with a median of $64,100 and employment of 90. That median is 20.7% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $70,033, against $86,866 here.

Employment share

Crane and Tower Operators accounts for 0.02% of wage-and-salary employment in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN (170 of 685,190). Nationally the occupation is 0.03% of employment (42,890 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.90 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 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN · 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 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Crane and Tower Operators in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN is $80,850. The 10th percentile is $38,810 and the 90th percentile is $92,590. Employment is 170.

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

The local median is 18.8% higher than the national median of $68,080.

What is Crane and Tower Operators pay in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN is 93.074, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $80,850 is $86,866. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN compare with nearby metros for Crane and Tower Operators?

Lexington-Fayette, KY is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 69 miles away, at $74,130. Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN ranks 2nd of 11 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.