How much do aerial lift operators make in 2026?
Aerial lift operators are counted in the BLS material moving workers, all other series: OEWS May 2025 gives the SOC 53-7199 national median as $41,800 a year ($20.10 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $34,330 and the top 10% at $62,820. This is a residual catch-all category — the code BLS uses for material moving occupations that do not fit a named series — so the figures describe a mixed low-to-mid wage group rather than a defined aerial lift trade, and that matters for interpretation. In practice, very few people are paid to operate a boom or scissor lift and nothing else. Aerial lift qualification under ANSI A92 is a training requirement layered onto electricians, glaziers, steel erectors, sign and facade technicians, warehouse maintenance staff and equipment rental yard workers, and the pay follows the underlying trade. Where lift operation is the primary job — rental yard delivery and demonstration, plant and stadium maintenance, film and event rigging support — earnings sit near this median, and rise with equipment breadth and inspection or maintenance duties. Employment is projected to grow 4.3% through 2034 with roughly 3,100 openings a year. → Full aerial lift operator career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $41,800 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Aerial Lift Operators earn a national median $41,800/yr ($20.10/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 53-7199); the P10 to P90 range is $34,330 to $62,820.
- The BLS figures come from SOC 53-7199, a residual catch-all series for material moving occupations with no code of their own, so treat the $34,330 to $62,820 band as a mixed group rather than a defined aerial lift trade.
- Aerial lift work is normally a qualification attached to another trade — electrical, glazing, steel, signs, facade or plant maintenance — and pay follows that trade rather than the lift.
- Where lift operation is the whole job, pay rises with equipment breadth and with inspection and maintenance responsibility rather than with hours in the basket.
US Aerial Lift Operator Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do aerial lift operators earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 53-7199; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 53-7199, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does an aerial lift operator earn at each career stage?
Because this is rarely a standalone career, the ladder below tracks responsibility for the equipment rather than time in the basket. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 53-7199.
By State
Which states pay aerial lift operators the most in 2026?
State figures are modeled estimates — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers salary-calculator state wage index — not BLS state observations. For this role the modeled figures should be read loosely, because the underlying series is residual: what a lift operator earns in a given state depends far more on which industry employs them than on the state's general wage level.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($48,070), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay aerial lift operators the most?
Metro figures are modeled — national median times state wage index times published metro index — not BLS MSA observations. Metro premiums here mostly reflect facade, sign and building maintenance work in dense areas, where street permits, night windows and traffic control make platform work slower and better paid.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise an aerial lift operator’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does aerial lift operator pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Aerial Lift Operators sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify aerial lift operator wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does an aerial lift operator actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Aerial Lift Operator Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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