Careers / Bridge and Lock Tenders
Bridge and Lock Tenders — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$57,700
United States, 2025
Employment
3,040
United States, 2025
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Job Zone 2
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Operate and tend bridges, canal locks, and lighthouses to permit marine passage on inland waterways, near shores, and at danger points in waterway passages. May supervise such operations. Includes drawbridge operators, lock operators, and slip bridge operators.
- O*NET code
- 53-6011.00
- Job zone
- 2
- Experience required
- None
Typical tasks
- Control machinery to open and close canal locks and dams, railroad or highway drawbridges, or horizontally or vertically adjustable bridges.
- Direct movements of vessels in locks or bridge areas, using signals, telecommunication equipment, or loudspeakers.
- Observe position and progress of vessels to ensure best use of lock spaces or bridge opening spaces.
- Record names, types, and destinations of vessels passing through bridge openings or locks, and numbers of trains or vehicles crossing bridges.
- Observe approaching vessels to determine size and speed, and listen for whistle signals indicating desire to pass.
- Move levers to activate traffic signals, navigation lights, and alarms.
- Write and submit maintenance work requisitions.
- Log data, such as water levels and weather conditions.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$28,090
25th percentile
$38,640
75th percentile
$69,620
90th percentile
$75,360
Most important skills
- Monitoring3.3
- Active Listening3.0
- Speaking3.0
- Operations Monitoring3.0
- Critical Thinking3.0
- Coordination3.0
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0
- Operation and Control3.0
- Complex Problem Solving2.9
- Reading Comprehension2.9
- Time Management2.9
- Writing2.9
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 8 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
8
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monitoring | 3.3 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Coordination | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Operation and Control | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Speaking | 3.0 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
| Active Listening | 3.0 | 2.8 | Not selected | 2.8 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.0 | 2.6 | Not selected | 2.6 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
Related careers
Supplemental
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Compare with Bridge and Lock TendersSupplemental
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Compare with Bridge and Lock TendersSupplemental
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Compare with Bridge and Lock TendersSupplemental
National median $59,850
Compare with Bridge and Lock TendersSupplemental
National median $58,870
Compare with Bridge and Lock TendersHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| WA | $78,020 | 50 | 2025 |
| Lafayette, LA | $75,340 | 30 | 2025 |
| MS | $74,730 | 50 | 2025 |
| St. Louis, MO | $74,480 | 30 | 2025 |
| MN | $74,420 | 60 | 2025 |
| MO | $74,110 | 40 | 2025 |
| Chicago, IL | $73,110 | 120 | 2025 |
| CA | $72,390 | 80 | 2025 |
| Davenport, IA | $70,890 | 50 | 2025 |
| IL | $70,890 | 290 | 2025 |
| IA | $70,890 | 50 | 2025 |
| Baton Rouge, LA | $69,970 | 40 | 2025 |
| PA | $68,810 | 110 | 2025 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $68,810 | 110 | 2025 |
| AL | $66,830 | 70 | 2025 |
| WV | $65,460 | 60 | 2025 |
| IN | $60,780 | 60 | 2025 |
| TN | $60,420 | 60 | 2025 |
| OH | $58,410 | 110 | 2025 |
| KY | $58,220 | 100 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Bridge and Lock Tenders to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.