Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024
Crane Operator vs Sheet Metal Worker
Crane Operators earn a national median of $75,123 versus $67,236 for Sheet Metal Workers, a gap of $7,887 per 2024 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Crane Operators have posted +4% 5-year wage growth versus +4% for Sheet Metal Workers.
How These Trades Stack Up
Crane Operators out-earn Sheet Metal Workers on national median by $7,887 — $75,123 versus $67,236, or about 12% 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 Sheet Metal Workers at +4%. That suggests both occupations sit in similar parts of the demand cycle, with neither pulling ahead structurally.
Crane Operators typically complete a 3-year apprenticeship while Sheet Metal Workers require 4 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
Sheet Metal Worker
Metalwork · 4yr apprenticeship
City-by-City Comparison
| City | Crane Operator | Sheet Metal Worker | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas, NV | $132,560 | $46,800 | +$85,760 |
| Portland, OR | $110,280 | $77,950 | +$32,330 |
| Seattle, WA | $106,010 | $102,680 | +$3,330 |
| New York, NY | $94,370 | $77,350 | +$17,020 |
| Columbus, OH | $90,090 | $65,460 | +$24,630 |
| Detroit, MI | $84,470 | $61,750 | +$22,720 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $80,440 | $64,100 | +$16,340 |
| Miami, FL | $79,440 | $56,580 | +$22,860 |
| Raleigh, NC | $79,280 | $51,610 | +$27,670 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $78,360 | $63,390 | +$14,970 |
| Boston, MA | $75,980 | $69,040 | +$6,940 |
| Denver, CO | $75,830 | $60,730 | +$15,100 |
| Tampa, FL | $75,760 | $48,770 | +$26,990 |
| Houston, TX | $75,450 | $56,020 | +$19,430 |
| Dallas, TX | $74,570 | $57,270 | +$17,300 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $72,630 | $81,140 | -$8,510 |
| Kansas City, MO | $72,260 | $81,500 | -$9,240 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $71,890 | $62,550 | +$9,340 |
| San Francisco, CA | $69,970 | $98,140 | -$28,170 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $67,960 | $53,320 | +$14,640 |
| Atlanta, GA | $67,230 | $49,630 | +$17,600 |
| San Antonio, TX | $66,170 | $54,830 | +$11,340 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $65,960 | $79,490 | -$13,530 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $61,780 | $78,560 | -$16,780 |
| Charlotte, NC | $59,220 | $52,870 | +$6,350 |
| Chicago, IL | $57,740 | $97,970 | -$40,230 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $56,830 | $63,830 | -$7,000 |
| New Orleans, LA | $56,440 | $61,090 | -$4,650 |
| Nashville, TN | $49,350 | $60,510 | -$11,160 |
| St. Louis, MO | $45,360 | $82,150 | -$36,790 |
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 Sheet Metal Workers make more money?
Crane Operators earn more on national median — $75,123 versus $67,236, a gap of $7,887 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?
Sheet Metal Workers have posted faster wage growth at +4% 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. Sheet Metal Workers typically complete a 4-year registered apprenticeship. Programs are listed at https://www.apprenticeship.gov/.
Which trade has better employment depth?
Crane Operators have 16,150 workers employed nationally; Sheet Metal Workers have 45,860. 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 Sheet Metal Worker 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 $67,236 for Sheet Metal Workers, a gap of $7,887 per 2024 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Crane Operators have posted +4% 5-year wage growth versus +4% for Sheet Metal Workers.
Comparing entity A and entity B on U.S. skilled-trade wage data requires lining up the underlying the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey data side by side. The table above runs the comparison on the canonical fields; the narrative below identifies the factor or factors that drive the most meaningful difference between the two.
Practical use of the comparison: read the data above, then drill into the individual entity A and entity B detail pages for the underlying breakdown. A pairwise comparison answers the relative question; the per-entity pages answer the absolute question.