Tower crane operator vs erecting crane operator

The differences between tower crane operators and erecting crane operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a tower crane operator and an erecting crane operator. Additionally, an erecting crane operator has an average salary of $62,796, which is higher than the $44,595 average annual salary of a tower crane operator.

The top three skills for a tower crane operator include cranes, hoisting and hand signals. The most important skills for an erecting crane operator are cranes, , and .

Tower crane operator vs erecting crane operator overview

	Tower Crane Operator	Erecting Crane Operator
Yearly salary	$44,595	$62,796
Hourly rate	$21.44	$30.19
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	30,816	26,205
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 47%	Associate Degree, 50%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	4	4

Tower crane operator vs erecting crane operator salary

Tower crane operators and erecting crane operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Tower Crane Operator	Erecting Crane Operator
Average salary	$44,595	$62,796
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $73,000	Between $33,000 And $117,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between tower crane operator and erecting crane operator education

There are a few differences between a tower crane operator and an erecting crane operator in terms of educational background:

	Tower Crane Operator	Erecting Crane Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 47%	Associate Degree, 50%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Tower crane operator vs erecting crane operator demographics

Here are the differences between tower crane operators' and erecting crane operators' demographics:

	Tower Crane Operator	Erecting Crane Operator
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 99.3% Female, 0.7%	Male, 97.2% Female, 2.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.8% Asian, 0.7% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 13.8% Asian, 0.7% White, 73.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%
LGBT Percentage	2%	2%

Differences between tower crane operator and erecting crane operator duties and responsibilities

Tower crane operator example responsibilities.

Train and supervise other employees to achieve significant improvements in their crane operating productivity.
Inspect mechanisms such as cables, pulleys, grappling devices, and lifting accessories in order to prevent malfunctions and damage.
Coordinate all safety efforts with management to meet or exceed requirements of client specifications and OSHA regulations.
Set aluminum panels to pour concrete foundation.

Erecting crane operator example responsibilities.

Inspect body harnesses and other PPE.
Operate 35- 350 ton hydraulic and conventional cranes, motor crane and crawler.
Coordinate all safety efforts with management to meet or exceed requirements of client specifications and OSHA regulations.
Weld verticals operate sub arc welders add operate crane
Operate 70-ton overhead crane in lifting/transporting coils of aluminum for production processing.

Tower crane operator vs erecting crane operator skills

Common tower crane operator skills

Cranes, 55%
Hoisting, 25%
Hand Signals, 8%
Pulleys, 4%
Construction Materials, 4%
Building Materials, 3%

Common erecting crane operator skills

Cranes, 100%

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Transportation Industry
Tower Crane Operator
Tower Crane Operator vs Erecting Crane Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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