Careers / Hoist and Winch Operators
Hoist and Winch Operators — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$56,450
United States, 2025
Employment
2,600
United States, 2025
Typical education
Not recorded
Job Zone 2
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Operate or tend hoists or winches to lift and pull loads using power-operated cable equipment.
- O*NET code
- 53-7041.00
- Job zone
- 2
- Experience required
- Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years
Typical tasks
- Select loads or materials according to weight and size specifications.
- Signal and assist other workers loading or unloading materials.
- Observe equipment gauges and indicators and hand signals of other workers to verify load positions or depths.
- Start engines of hoists or winches and use levers and pedals to wind or unwind cable on drums.
- Apply hand or foot brakes and move levers to lock hoists or winches.
- Repair, maintain, and adjust equipment, using hand tools.
- Tend auxiliary equipment, such as jacks, slings, cables, or stop blocks, to facilitate moving items or materials for further processing.
- Move levers, pedals, and throttles to stop, start, and regulate speeds of hoist or winch drums in response to hand, bell, buzzer, telephone, loud-speaker, or whistle signals, or by observing dial indicators or cable marks.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$35,640
25th percentile
$42,690
75th percentile
$94,350
90th percentile
$118,210
Most important skills
- Critical Thinking3.8
- Operations Monitoring3.6
- Monitoring3.6
- Time Management3.5
- Operation and Control3.4
- Active Listening3.4
- Judgment and Decision Making3.3
- Complex Problem Solving3.3
- Social Perceptiveness3.1
- Speaking3.1
- Management of Personnel Resources3.0
- Coordination3.0
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 13 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
13
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operations Monitoring | 3.6 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Coordination | 3.0 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.8 | 2.6 | Not selected | 2.6 |
| Operation and Control | 3.4 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
| Time Management | 3.5 | 2.8 | Not selected | 2.8 |
| Monitoring | 3.6 | 2.6 | Not selected | 2.6 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.3 | 2.5 | Not selected | 2.5 |
| Active Listening | 3.4 | 2.4 | Not selected | 2.4 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.3 | 2.4 | Not selected | 2.4 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | 3.0 | 2.5 | Not selected | 2.5 |
| Instructing | 3.0 | 2.5 | Not selected | 2.5 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.1 | 2.3 | Not selected | 2.3 |
| Speaking | 3.1 | 2.3 | Not selected | 2.3 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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Compare with Hoist and Winch OperatorsHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL | $118,210 | 300 | 2025 |
| IL | $118,210 | 320 | 2025 |
| HI | $107,100 | 120 | 2025 |
| MD | $99,840 | 140 | 2025 |
| Baltimore, MD | $99,840 | 130 | 2025 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $78,400 | 60 | 2025 |
| MN | $78,400 | 60 | 2025 |
| NY | $74,980 | 110 | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $74,840 | 160 | 2025 |
| Boston, MA | $64,390 | — | 2025 |
| MA | $62,240 | — | 2025 |
| OR | $55,880 | 70 | 2025 |
| Dallas, TX | $47,810 | 40 | 2025 |
| MO | $47,510 | 40 | 2025 |
| Atlanta, GA | $46,310 | 60 | 2025 |
| OH | $43,000 | — | 2025 |
| MI | $40,070 | 50 | 2025 |
| TN | $39,930 | 40 | 2025 |
| IN | $39,750 | 120 | 2025 |
| GA | $37,870 | 90 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Hoist and Winch Operators 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.