Crane and Tower Operators vs Locomotive Engineers: $68K vs $81K Median Pay

Crane and Tower Operators vs Locomotive Engineers: what changes?

Consider Crane and Tower Operators if you want to operate mechanical boom and cable or tower and cable equipment to lift and move materials, machines, or products in many directions. Consider Locomotive Engineers if you would rather drive electric, diesel-electric, steam, or gas-turbine-electric locomotives to transport passengers or freight. Both list high school diploma or equivalent; compare training and prior experience separately. Prior experience in a related occupation is typically needed for Crane and Tower Operators (less than 5 years) and Locomotive Engineers (less than 5 years).

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Crane and Tower Operators and Locomotive Engineers. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Crane and Tower Operators

National median pay (2025): $68,080
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Determine load weights and check them against lifting capacities to prevent overload.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 3,500

Know before you choose

BLS lists less than 5 years of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

See the full Crane and Tower Operators brief

Locomotive Engineers

National median pay (2025): $81,410
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Interpret train orders, signals, or railroad rules and regulations that govern the operation of locomotives.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 2,000

Know before you choose

BLS lists less than 5 years of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

See the full Locomotive Engineers brief

How the national numbers differ

Crane and Tower Operators has the edge on projected growth

Crane and Tower Operators is at 3.8% projected growth, compared with 0.5% projected growth for Locomotive Engineers.

Typical preparation differs.

Crane and Tower Operators: High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing Locomotive Engineers: High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

Locomotive Engineers has the edge on median pay

Locomotive Engineers is at $81,410, compared with $68,080 for Crane and Tower Operators.

Crane and Tower Operators has the edge on annual openings

Crane and Tower Operators is at 3,500 annual openings, compared with 2,000 annual openings for Locomotive Engineers.

53.5/ 100

Crane and Tower Operators

51.4/ 100

Locomotive Engineers

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Crane and Tower Operators vs Locomotive Engineers

Dimension	Crane and Tower Operators	Locomotive Engineers
Median pay (2025)	$68,080	$81,410
Pay percentile	59.7 percentile	74 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	3.8%	0.5%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	3,500	2,000
2025 employment	42,900	27,400
How you qualify	High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 3	Job Zone 2
Related work experience	Prior related experience: less than 5 years.	Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
On-the-job training	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Crane and Tower Operators brief Read Locomotive Engineers brief

Crane and Tower Operators vs Locomotive Engineers: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Crane and Tower Operators

Locomotive Engineers

How the national numbers differ

Crane and Tower Operators has the edge on projected growth

Typical preparation differs.

Locomotive Engineers has the edge on median pay

Crane and Tower Operators has the edge on annual openings

Crane and Tower Operators vs Locomotive Engineers

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