Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024
Crane Operator vs Construction Manager
Crane Operators earn a national median of $75,123 versus $114,957 for Construction Managers, a gap of $39,834 per 2024 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Crane Operators have posted +4% 5-year wage growth versus +5% for Construction Managers.
How These Trades Stack Up
Construction Managers out-earn Crane Operators on national median by $39,834 — $114,957 versus $75,123, or about 53% more. That gap reflects differences in apprenticeship length, certification requirements, industry concentration, and union footprint between the two trades.
Both trades have posted comparable 5-year wage growth — Crane Operators at +4% versus Construction Managers at +5%. That suggests both occupations sit in similar parts of the demand cycle, with neither pulling ahead structurally.
Construction Managers typically complete a 0-year apprenticeship while Crane Operators require 3 years. The longer pathway usually translates into higher journeyman pay and stronger licensure protection, but it also delays full earnings; the shorter pathway delivers faster income at typically lower medians.
Crane Operator
Heavy Equipment · 3yr apprenticeship
Construction Manager
Management · 0yr apprenticeship
City-by-City Comparison
| City | Crane Operator | Construction Manager | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas, NV | $132,560 | $103,420 | +$29,140 |
| Portland, OR | $110,280 | $136,970 | -$26,690 |
| Seattle, WA | $106,010 | $138,970 | -$32,960 |
| New York, NY | $94,370 | $138,000 | -$43,630 |
| Columbus, OH | $90,090 | $101,380 | -$11,290 |
| Detroit, MI | $84,470 | $108,560 | -$24,090 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $80,440 | $102,720 | -$22,280 |
| Miami, FL | $79,440 | $110,810 | -$31,370 |
| Raleigh, NC | $79,280 | $111,660 | -$32,380 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $78,360 | $102,230 | -$23,870 |
| Boston, MA | $75,980 | $156,590 | -$80,610 |
| Denver, CO | $75,830 | $124,850 | -$49,020 |
| Tampa, FL | $75,760 | $100,810 | -$25,050 |
| Houston, TX | $75,450 | $101,850 | -$26,400 |
| Dallas, TX | $74,570 | $100,760 | -$26,190 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $72,630 | $123,460 | -$50,830 |
| Kansas City, MO | $72,260 | $106,490 | -$34,230 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $71,890 | $120,250 | -$48,360 |
| San Francisco, CA | $69,970 | $160,870 | -$90,900 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $67,960 | $111,550 | -$43,590 |
| Atlanta, GA | $67,230 | $104,280 | -$37,050 |
| San Antonio, TX | $66,170 | $97,010 | -$30,840 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $65,960 | $111,300 | -$45,340 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $61,780 | $128,730 | -$66,950 |
| Charlotte, NC | $59,220 | $105,580 | -$46,360 |
| Chicago, IL | $57,740 | $118,830 | -$61,090 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $56,830 | $102,330 | -$45,500 |
| New Orleans, LA | $56,440 | $108,100 | -$51,660 |
| Nashville, TN | $49,350 | $106,050 | -$56,700 |
| St. Louis, MO | $45,360 | $104,310 | -$58,950 |
How These Numbers Are Calculated
All wage figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (2024) release at bls.gov/oes. National medians are the BLS-published median wages for the trade's Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code; metropolitan medians come from the same OEWS release at the metropolitan statistical area level. Five-year wage growth compares the current OEWS median to the same series five releases prior, expressed as a percent change. The Trade Pay Score weights raw pay (30%), wage growth (25%), employment depth (25%), and cost-of-living-adjusted purchasing power (20%) into a single 0-100 grade — read the full methodology.
Forward-looking employment projections through 2032 for both trades are published in the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at bls.gov/ooh. Apprenticeship pathway detail comes from the U.S. Department of Labor's apprenticeship.gov registry. All three are public-domain federal data sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Crane Operators or Construction Managers make more money?
Construction Managers earn more on national median — $114,957 versus $75,123, a gap of $39,834 per 2024 BLS OEWS data. The full BLS dataset is published at https://www.bls.gov/oes/.
Which trade has stronger 5-year wage growth?
Construction Managers have posted faster wage growth at +5% versus +4% for Crane Operators. Sustained gaps in growth often compound meaningfully over a 20-30 year career.
How long is the apprenticeship for each trade?
Crane Operators typically complete a 3-year registered apprenticeship. Construction Managers typically do not require a formal apprenticeship — workers learn on the job over several years. Programs are listed at https://www.apprenticeship.gov/.
Which trade has better employment depth?
Crane Operators have 16,150 workers employed nationally; Construction Managers have 160,280. Larger employment bases generally translate into more job openings, easier mobility between employers, and lower volatility — useful when comparing the long-term resilience of two trade pathways.
Where can I find apprenticeships for either trade?
Registered apprenticeship programs for both Crane Operator and Construction Manager are listed on the U.S. Department of Labor's apprenticeship.gov site at https://www.apprenticeship.gov/, which lets you filter by trade, state, and city. Projected employment growth through 2032 for each occupation is published in the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/.
Crane Operators earn a national median of $75,123 versus $114,957 for Construction Managers, a gap of $39,834 per 2024 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Crane Operators have posted +4% 5-year wage growth versus +5% for Construction Managers.
The side-by-side above pulls the the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey data for both Crane Operator and Construction Manager. What follows is the interpretation — which specific axes carry the most weight for Crane Operator versus Construction Manager, and which differences are large enough to influence a real decision.
Practical use of the comparison: read the data above, then drill into the individual Crane Operator and Construction Manager detail pages for the underlying breakdown. A pairwise comparison answers the relative question; the per-entity pages answer the absolute question.