Crane and Tower Operators Salary

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $59K, rent takes 88.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $3,405/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,200/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new crane and tower operators typically earn — is $42K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,798/month.

Local pay runs 14% below the national median — $59K here vs. $68K nationally.

Southside Virginia nonmetropolitan area pays $59K median vs. the U.S. average of $68K — that’s -14%.

The median is $58,610 a year, that works out to about $28 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $41,590, and experienced crane and tower operators can clear $76,680. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,856/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $3,405/month, which eats 88.3% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.

Southside Virginia nonmetropolitan area has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median crane and tower operators salary is worth about $58,610 in national-average purchasing power.

The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.