Hoist and Winch Operators: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Transportation and Material Moving · SOC 53-7041 · O*NET 53-7041.00
Operate or tend hoists or winches to lift and pull loads using power-operated cable equipment.
Hoist and Winch Operators fall under the Transportation and Material Moving category in the U.S. occupational classification. Hoist and Winch Operators earn a median salary of $52,310 per year, ranking in the top 58% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects -1.1% job growth through 2034, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Entry into this field typically requires a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, certifications, or postsecondary credentials, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What do hoist and winch operators earn?
The median annual wage for hoist and winch operators is $52,310. That puts hoist and winch operators at #470 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is around or below the U.S. median for individual workers, so career growth often depends on advancement into supervisory roles, specialization, or additional credentials. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $33,910 |
| 25th percentile | $39,220 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $52,310 |
| 75th percentile | $90,200 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $116,120 |
| Median hourly wage | $25.15/hr |
Is hoist and winch operators a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for hoist and winch operators is -1.1%, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Employment is projected to move from approximately 2K positions in 2024 to 2K in 2034, a net change of 0K. A declining outlook does not mean the field is disappearing; it means automation, demographics, or substitution effects are shrinking the pool of openings. Students entering a declining field should plan for adjacent skills that transfer to growing roles.
What do hoist and winch operators do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working hoist and winch operators, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.Signal and assist other workers loading or unloading materials.
- 2.Start engines of hoists or winches and use levers and pedals to wind or unwind cable on drums.
- 3.Observe equipment gauges and indicators and hand signals of other workers to verify load positions or depths.
- 4.Move or reposition hoists, winches, loads and materials, manually or using equipment and machines such as trucks, cars, and hand trucks.
- 5.Attach, fasten, and disconnect cables or lines to loads, materials, and equipment, using hand tools.
- 6.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.
- 7.Operate compressed air, diesel, electric, gasoline, or steam-driven hoists or winches to control movement of cableways, cages, derricks, draglines, loaders, railcars, or skips.
- 8.Select loads or materials according to weight and size specifications.
Top skills for hoist and winch operators
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become hoist and winch operator?
Many hoist and winch operators enter the field with a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, though employers increasingly favor candidates with certifications or some postsecondary coursework. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.
Related careers your child might also consider
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about hoist and winch operators
What is the median salary for hoist and winch operators?
The median annual salary for hoist and winch operators is $52,310 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is hoist and winch operators a growing career?
BLS projects -1.1% growth for hoist and winch operators from 2024 through 2034, which is declining growth projected to lose jobs through 2034.
What education does my child need to become hoist and winch operator?
The typical entry path requires a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, certifications, or postsecondary credentials, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to hoist and winch operators?
Related occupations within the Transportation and Material Moving category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.