Hoist and Winch Operators Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 53-7041 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$56,451
$27.14/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The national median salary for Hoist and Winch Operators is $56,451 per year ($27.14/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $42,702 and $94,349 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $118,206 per year. There are approximately 2,600 hoist and winch operators employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Operate or tend hoists or winches to lift and pull loads using power-operated cable equipment.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-1.1%
Slower than average
Annual openings
300
per year, on avg
Workforce today
3K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
No formal educational credential
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation
NAICS 483100
130
$107,100
Wage range across top 5 industries: $35,360 to $107,100 (203% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$17.13
$35,630
P25
$20.53
$42,702
P50MEDIAN
$27.14
$56,451
P75
$45.36
$94,349
P90
$56.83
$118,206
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · other sector
Active
Openings Rate
3.4%
Quits Rate
2.0%
The labor market rebounded in March: hires jumped to 5.6M (+655K) and separations rose to 5.4M (+356K), both more than offsetting February's drop. Job openings held at 6.9M. Quits ticked to 2.0%.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average hoist and winch operators salary?
The national median salary for Hoist and Winch Operators is $56,451 per year ($27.14/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $42,702 and $94,349 annually.
How much do top-earning hoist and winch operators make?
The 90th percentile salary for Hoist and Winch Operators is $118,206 per year ($56.83/hr). The 75th percentile is $94,349 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for hoist and winch operators?
Entry-level Hoist and Winch Operators (10th percentile) earn approximately $35,630 per year ($17.13/hr). The 25th percentile is $42,702 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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