Transportation and Material Moving
Crane and Tower Operators
Operate mechanical boom and cable or tower and cable equipment to lift and move materials, machines, or products in many directions.
Also called: Crane Operator, Equipment Operator, Heavy Equipment Operator, Machine Operator, Mobile Crane Operator, Overhead Crane Operator
- Median pay in Greater Boston
- $98,140
- $47.19/hr
- Jobs in Greater Boston
- 500
- Massachusetts 2024–2034
- +16.1%
- 50 openings a year
- Typical U.S. entry requirement
- High school diploma or equivalent
- plus Moderate-term on-the-job training; Less than 5 years of related work experience
Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.
Pay range in Greater Boston
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $59,330 | $74,420 | $98,140 | $129,790 | $129,790 |
10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.
What you’d do
- Move levers, depress foot pedals, or turn dials to operate cranes, cherry pickers, electromagnets, or other moving equipment for lifting, moving, or placing loads.
- Inspect crane site conditions to determine ground stability.
- Inspect and adjust crane mechanisms or lifting accessories to prevent malfunctions or damage.
- Direct helpers engaged in placing blocking or outrigging under cranes.
- Determine load weights and check them against lifting capacities to prevent overload.
- Clean, lubricate, and maintain mechanisms such as cables, pulleys, or grappling devices, making repairs, as necessary.
AI and this job
AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.
Lower exposure9 of 100
The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:
- AIOE 15
- Language-model AIOE 6
- GPTs-are-GPTs 7
Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)
AI exposure for this job is lower, and there is little or no observed AI use so far. The main work is operating heavy equipment, checking the ground, and inspecting machinery, and those tasks happen on a real job site. AI tools may help a little with paperwork or with checking load weights against lifting limits, but the operator still makes the calls.
Likely to change
- Checking load weights against lifting limits
- Planning lifts and tracking equipment records
Still relies on people
- Running the crane and placing loads safely
- Judging ground conditions and directing helpers
Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.
Next steps from here
Related jobs that build on what you already do.
Structural Iron and Steel Workers
Your experience with loads and lifting on job sites carries over, and this apprenticeship job pays more, with a Boston median of $120,840.
- Pay difference
- +$22,700 median
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +6.1%
- To get started
- High school diploma or equivalent
Glaziers
Glaziers read blueprints and plan staging and scaffolding. Your site-safety habits help, and the Boston median pay is $107,610.
- Pay difference
- +$9,470 median
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +4.9%
- To get started
- High school diploma or equivalent
Training near Boston
College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).
No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.
Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.
Who employs crane and tower operators on Boston construction projects
Hours worked on projects covered by the Boston Residents Jobs Policy over the last 24 months. This shows who has employed crane and tower operators, not who has openings.
33,889 worker hours from Oct 20, 2024 to Oct 19, 2026 (trades: Crane Operator).
- 15.8%
- of hours by boston residents
- 11.3%
- of hours by people of color
- 2.8%
- of hours by women
| Employer | Worker hours | Boston resident share | Projects |
|---|---|---|---|
| G&C Concrete | 9,934 | 4.1% | 12 |
| Grande Masonry, Llc | 5,022 | 36.2% | 1 |
| Maxim Crane Works LP | 4,618 | 10.3% | 4 |
| Coastal Marine Construction LLC | 3,548 | 39.2% | 2 |
| Treviicos Corporation | 1,298 | 0.0% | 1 |
| Hallamore Corporation | 1,232 | 0.0% | 3 |
| Allied Pile Driving | 1,026 | 15.1% | 1 |
Related occupations
- Hoist and Winch Operators
- Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators
- Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines
- Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining
- Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
- Riggers
- Pile Driver Operators
- Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders
- Structural Iron and Steel Workers
- Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing
Talk to a career coach
A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.
Talk to a career coach