WAGE DATA · SOC 53-7021

CRANE OPERATOR PAY
IN NORTH CAROLINA.

North Carolina crane operators earn a median of $29.84/hr (BLS 2024). 1,100 workers employed statewide. Compare market wages, federal prevailing rates, and per-diem baselines below.

// SWITCH VIEW
ALL 50 STATES · CRANE OPERATOR
// BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS · STATEWIDEOEWS · MAY 2024
HOURLY MEDIAN
$29.84/hr
MEAN HOURLY
$30.76/hr
ANNUAL MEDIAN
$62K
EMPLOYED
1,100
10th · $20.36MEDIAN · $29.8490th · $39.80
// DAVIS-BACON · FEDERAL PREVAILING WAGE97 ACTIVE WDS

Active Wage Determinations · North Carolina

97 active Davis-Bacon Wage Determinations cover North Carolina. Each WD sets the legal minimum wage (base + fringe by trade classification) on federally-funded construction in the counties it applies to. Showing the 12 most recently modified — click through for the per-trade rates on sam.gov.

NC20260019 · MOD 1
Heavy · Brunswick, Alleghany, Ashe +97
MOD
2026-01-30
NC20260100
Residential · Davidson
MOD
2026-01-02
NC20260105
Residential · Mecklenburg
MOD
2026-01-02
NC20260102
Residential · Hoke
MOD
2026-01-02
NC20260103
Residential · Iredell
MOD
2026-01-02
NC20260104
Residential · Lincoln
MOD
2026-01-02
NC20260101
Residential · Forsyth
MOD
2026-01-02
NC20260106
Residential · New Hanover
MOD
2026-01-02
NC20260107
Residential · Orange
MOD
2026-01-02
NC20260108
Residential · Rowan
MOD
2026-01-02
NC20260109
Residential · Union
MOD
2026-01-02
NC20260010
Building · Onslow
MOD
2026-01-02

Per-trade rates (the actual $/hr for crane operators by county) are published on the SAM.gov detail page for each WD. Browse all 97 North Carolina Wage Determinations on sam.gov. If a contractor on a federal job is paying below the WD, file a WH-3 with DOL WHD.

// GSA PER DIEM · FY 2026GSA

Lodging + M&IE by City

The federal government's per-diem rate is the baseline most contractors use. If your job's per diem is below this, you're subsidizing the contractor.

Kill Devil Hills
Dare
$247
/day · meals $74
Chapel Hill
Orange
$220
/day · meals $80
Atlantic Beach / Morehead City
Carteret
$215
/day · meals $74
Charlotte
Mecklenburg
$211
/day · meals $80
Wilmington
New Hanover
$209
/day · meals $74
Asheville
Buncombe
$205
/day · meals $80
Raleigh
Wake
$205
/day · meals $74
Durham
Durham
$195
/day · meals $74
Greensboro
Guilford
$193
/day · meals $74
Fayetteville
Cumberland
$192
/day · meals $68
Standard Rate
North Carolina
$178
/day · meals $68
// ROADHAND COMMUNITY DATABE FIRST

What are workers actually earning?

Government data is a baseline. Real take-home pay — including per diem, OT rules, housing allowances — comes from workers on the ground. Submit your pay anonymously to help the next hand.

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OTHER TRADES IN NORTH CAROLINA

ElectricianWelderPipefitterIronworkerMillwrightBoilermakerCarpenterOperating EngineerPlumber

CRANE OPERATOR PAY IN OTHER STATES

AlaskaCaliforniaColoradoLouisianaMontanaNew MexicoNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaPennsylvaniaTexasWest VirginiaWyoming

FAQ

How much does a crane operator earn in North Carolina?+
According to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (2024), crane operators in North Carolina earn a median of $29.84/hr. That's roughly $62K/year for a full-time schedule at straight time.
What's the top pay for crane operators in North Carolina?+
The top 10% of crane operators in North Carolina earn more than $39.80/hr (BLS 2024). That represents experienced workers, supervisors, or those on high-per-diem travel contracts.
How many crane operators work in North Carolina?+
BLS reports 1,100 crane operators employed in North Carolina as of 2024. Numbers fluctuate with major construction cycles — when big projects like LNG terminals or data centers start, demand spikes.
Do crane operators in North Carolina get per diem?+
Per diem is standard on travel contracts. The federal GSA baseline for North Carolina is typically $150-$260/day depending on the city. Contractors may set their per diem higher or lower — if it's below the GSA floor, you're subsidizing the contractor's housing budget out of pocket.
What's Davis-Bacon prevailing wage?+
Davis-Bacon rates are the legally-required minimum wages on federally-funded construction projects — base pay plus fringe benefits. Every contractor working a federal job must pay at least the Davis-Bacon rate for that county and trade. Private-sector jobs don't have to match, but many do as a competitive floor.