Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024
Crane Operator Salary in Los Angeles
2024 BLS OEWS Data · Heavy Equipment · COL Index: 166
Crane Operators in Los Angeles, CA earn a median annual wage of $61,780 per 2024 BLS OEWS data, with the 10th percentile at $43,880 and the 90th at $135,010. After cost of living, that translates to $37,217 in U.S.-average purchasing power. Trade Pay Score: D (43/100).
What Crane Operators Take Home in Los Angeles
The $91,130 spread between entry-level and top-decile crane operators in Los Angeles is wide — about 148% of the median. That breadth points to a trade where specialization, certifications, and supervisory roles meaningfully change earning potential. Top-decile workers can earn substantially more than the headline median suggests, particularly in industrial or commercial-grade work.
Los Angeles's cost-of-living index of 166 is well above the U.S. average — meaning a crane operator earning $61,780 here brings home roughly $37,217 in U.S.-average purchasing power. That gap between nominal and real pay is one of the largest in the country and reflects expensive housing, transportation, and services. Workers should weigh whether the headline pay actually clears the cost-of-living premium.
With a Trade Pay Score of 43 (D), this trade-city pairing is below average. That typically reflects either weak nominal wages, sluggish 5-year wage growth, a high cost of living that hollows out real pay, or some combination. Workers should examine both the per-trade page (other cities for the same trade) and the per-city page (other trades in the same metro) to find a stronger fit.
Salary Distribution
Percentile Breakdown
| Level | Salary | COL-Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (Apprentice / Entry) | $43,880 | $26,434 |
| 25th Percentile (Early Career) | $61,320 | $36,940 |
| 50th Percentile (Journeyman / Median) | $61,780 | $37,217 |
| 75th Percentile (Experienced) | $107,060 | $64,494 |
| 90th Percentile (Master / Foreman) | $135,010 | $81,331 |
How These Numbers Are Calculated
Every wage figure here comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program at bls.gov/oes — a survey of about 1.2 million employers per release covering more than 800 occupations and every U.S. metropolitan statistical area. The Trade Pay Score combines raw median pay (30%), 5-year wage growth (25%), employment depth (25%), and cost-of-living-adjusted purchasing power (20%) into a single 0-100 grade. Read the full methodology.
Career outlook detail — projected 2032 employment levels for crane operators, typical entry-level requirements, on-the-job training expectations — comes from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at bls.gov/ooh. Apprenticeship programs in Los Angeles are listed at apprenticeship.gov. All three are public-domain federal data sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a Crane Operator make in Los Angeles?
Per 2024 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data, the median crane operator salary in Los Angeles, CA is $61,780. The 10th percentile is $43,880 (typical for entry-level or apprentice-tier positions); the 90th percentile reaches $135,010 (master, foreman, or specialty roles).
How does Los Angeles pay compare for Crane Operators?
With a Trade Pay Score of 43/100 and a grade of D, the Los Angeles-Crane Operator pairing is below average — workers should consider whether a different metro for the same trade might deliver a higher grade.
What is the apprenticeship path for Crane Operators in Los Angeles?
Crane Operators typically complete a 3-year registered apprenticeship before reaching journeyman pay, starting around the 10th percentile ($43,880) and progressing toward the median. Registered apprenticeship programs in the area are listed at https://www.apprenticeship.gov/.
How does cost of living affect Crane Operator pay in Los Angeles?
Los Angeles has a cost-of-living index of 166. The median crane operator salary of $61,780 translates to $37,217 in U.S.-average purchasing power — a downward adjustment because the metro is more expensive than average.
Where does this salary data come from?
Every wage figure on this page is a real BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics median or percentile from the 2024 release at https://www.bls.gov/oes/, which surveys roughly 1.2 million U.S. employers per release. Career outlook context (projected employment growth through 2032) comes from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/. Both are public-domain U.S. government data sources.
Crane Operators in Los Angeles, CA earn a median annual wage of $61,780 per 2024 BLS OEWS data, with the 10th percentile at $43,880 and the 90th at $135,010. After cost of living, that translates to $37,217 in U.S.-average purchasing power. Trade Pay Score: D (43/100).
this entity is one of the data points covered by this site’s U.S. skilled-trade wage data dataset. The detail above comes directly from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey; the context that follows situates the headline numbers against the broader distribution across U.S. trades, cities, and states.
Every number on this page links back to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey; the methodology page describes the inputs, refresh cadence, and known limitations of the underlying data product.
Practical use of this page is in combination with the comparison and ranking pages elsewhere on the site, which surface the same data for this entity’s peers within U.S. trades, cities, and states. A single-entity reading without peer context can be misleading when an entity is an outlier on one axis but typical on another.