Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024
HVAC Technician vs Crane Operator
HVAC Technicians earn a national median of $62,556 versus $75,123 for Crane Operators, a gap of $12,567 per 2024 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. HVAC Technicians have posted +6% 5-year wage growth versus +4% for Crane Operators.
How These Trades Stack Up
Crane Operators out-earn HVAC Technicians on national median by $12,567 — $75,123 versus $62,556, or about 20% more. That gap reflects differences in apprenticeship length, certification requirements, industry concentration, and union footprint between the two trades.
HVAC Technicians have grown faster — +6% over five years versus +4% for Crane Operators. Sustained growth gaps of this size can compound meaningfully over a 20-30 year career, so workers comparing the two trades should weigh growth alongside the headline median.
Crane Operators typically complete a 3-year apprenticeship while HVAC Technicians 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.
HVAC Technician
HVAC · 4yr apprenticeship
Crane Operator
Heavy Equipment · 3yr apprenticeship
City-by-City Comparison
| City | HVAC Technician | Crane Operator | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston, MA | $77,600 | $75,980 | +$1,620 |
| San Francisco, CA | $76,760 | $69,970 | +$6,790 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $76,090 | $71,890 | +$4,200 |
| Seattle, WA | $75,500 | $106,010 | -$30,510 |
| Chicago, IL | $74,400 | $57,740 | +$16,660 |
| New York, NY | $74,090 | $94,370 | -$20,280 |
| Denver, CO | $64,990 | $75,830 | -$10,840 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $64,820 | $61,780 | +$3,040 |
| Portland, OR | $64,290 | $110,280 | -$45,990 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $63,490 | $65,960 | -$2,470 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $62,830 | $72,630 | -$9,800 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $62,030 | $80,440 | -$18,410 |
| Columbus, OH | $61,990 | $90,090 | -$28,100 |
| St. Louis, MO | $61,880 | $45,360 | +$16,520 |
| Detroit, MI | $61,140 | $84,470 | -$23,330 |
| Kansas City, MO | $61,080 | $72,260 | -$11,180 |
| Nashville, TN | $59,840 | $49,350 | +$10,490 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $59,530 | $56,830 | +$2,700 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $58,820 | $67,960 | -$9,140 |
| Las Vegas, NV | $58,790 | $132,560 | -$73,770 |
| Charlotte, NC | $57,950 | $59,220 | -$1,270 |
| Houston, TX | $57,910 | $75,450 | -$17,540 |
| New Orleans, LA | $57,780 | $56,440 | +$1,340 |
| Dallas, TX | $57,670 | $74,570 | -$16,900 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $57,110 | $78,360 | -$21,250 |
| Atlanta, GA | $56,830 | $67,230 | -$10,400 |
| Raleigh, NC | $54,180 | $79,280 | -$25,100 |
| San Antonio, TX | $53,770 | $66,170 | -$12,400 |
| Miami, FL | $53,510 | $79,440 | -$25,930 |
| Tampa, FL | $50,010 | $75,760 | -$25,750 |
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 HVAC Technicians or Crane Operators make more money?
Crane Operators earn more on national median — $75,123 versus $62,556, a gap of $12,567 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?
HVAC Technicians have posted faster wage growth at +6% 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?
HVAC Technicians typically complete a 4-year registered apprenticeship. Crane Operators typically complete a 3-year registered apprenticeship. Programs are listed at https://www.apprenticeship.gov/.
Which trade has better employment depth?
HVAC Technicians have 157,240 workers employed nationally; Crane Operators have 16,150. 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 HVAC Technician and Crane Operator 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/.
HVAC Technicians earn a national median of $62,556 versus $75,123 for Crane Operators, a gap of $12,567 per 2024 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. HVAC Technicians have posted +6% 5-year wage growth versus +4% for Crane Operators.
The side-by-side above pulls the the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey data for both HVAC Technician and Crane Operator. What follows is the interpretation — which specific axes carry the most weight for HVAC Technician versus Crane Operator, 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 HVAC Technician and Crane Operator detail pages for the underlying breakdown. A pairwise comparison answers the relative question; the per-entity pages answer the absolute question.