Crane and Tower Operators in Virginia
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$52,614
after federal, FICA and Virginia tax
Tax takes
$13,986
21.0% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$52,223
Virginia costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Virginia — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$66,600
Kept after tax
$52,614
Worth in national money
$52,223
State rank
27
of 50 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Virginia is 27 of 50 states for crane and tower operators, with a middle wage of $66,600. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 489 occupations Virginia reports figures for, this is number 189.
- No great distortion either way. Virginia costs about what the country costs, so from $66,600, take-home of $52,614 is worth roughly $52,223 in national money. The average lands at $66,470, below the middle of the range.
- Virginia ranks 27 of 50 for crane and tower operators at $66,600. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- In Virginia's occupational distribution, crane and tower operators sits at 189 of 489 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- Price parity in Virginia is near the national base, so for crane and tower operators, whose median is $66,600, the adjusted figure of $52,223 differs little from $52,614 retained after tax. The state's position for this occupation is therefore set by wage and tax rather than by living costs. At $66,470 the mean undershoots the median, an inversion of the usual skew.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Crane and Tower Operators
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $42,720 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $66,600 |
| Top tenth earn over | $88,480 |
| This salary | $66,600 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Virginia | $52,614 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $55,683 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$5,079 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $62,768 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$6,155 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 101 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of crane and tower operators in Virginia earn under $66,600 and half over. The published range runs $42,720 at the tenth percentile to $88,480 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Virginia the take-home figure of $52,614, from $66,600, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 189 of 489 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $52,223 uses one figure for the whole of Virginia. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 489 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 189.
- Figures are distribution medians for crane and tower operators in Virginia, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $42,720 to $88,480; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- Take-home for Virginia is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $52,614 from $66,600. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 189 of 489 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $52,223, worked from $66,600, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular Virginia address, on work sitting at 189 of 489 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $42,720 at the tenth percentile, $88,480 at the ninetieth.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
A larger wage in a dearer place is not automatically more. Adjusted for local prices, this pay behaves like $52,223 of national purchasing power.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Three of them are federal and one is not. After income tax, Social Security, Medicare and Virginia's own levy, $52,614 remains.
Why is this job missing from some states?
A blank is a suppression, not a zero. 50 states have a published figure for this work; the others had too few responses to release one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($42,720 to $88,480) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Virginia rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
Virginia's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $52,223 in national-average terms. ⚠️ RPPs are an all-items index; housing parities vary far more widely than the headline figure.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $52,614 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Virginia income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Why does this occupation lack published estimates in every state?
BLS suppresses estimates failing disclosure or reliability criteria. This occupation has published state-level estimates in 50 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.