# Hoist and Winch Operators

> Operate or tend hoists or winches to lift and pull loads using power-operated cable equipment.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/hoist-and-winch-operators
- SOC code: 53-7041.00
- Career family: Transportation
- Median annual pay: $56,450 (10th percentile $35,640, 90th percentile $118,210)
- Projected growth: Little or no change, +0.2%
- Openings a year: 300
- Typical entry education: No formal credential
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code RCI)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 98 |
| Investigative (I) | 9 |
| Artistic (A) | 1 |
| Social (S) | 8 |
| Enterprising (E) | 8 |
| Conventional (C) | 39 |

## What you'd do

- Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment (importance 81/100)
- Handling and Moving Objects (importance 79/100)
- Getting Information (importance 78/100)
- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment (importance 78/100)
- Controlling Machines and Processes (importance 78/100)
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings (importance 77/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 77/100)
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (importance 74/100)
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work (importance 73/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 71/100)

## Skills

Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Operations Monitoring, Time Management, Active Listening, Operation and Control, Complex Problem Solving, Judgment and Decision Making, Social Perceptiveness, Speaking

## Knowledge

Mechanical, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Production and Processing, Public Safety and Security, Transportation, Telecommunications, Administration and Management, Mathematics, Building and Construction

## Also called

Air Hoist Operator, Air Lift Operator, Boat Hoist Operator, Boat Loader, Cable Operator, Cable Way Operator, Casing Puller, Chute Operator, Clutch Operator, Corner Bead Operator

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Ground Transportation](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4902) (CIP 4902, 213 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Pennsylvania College of Technology](https://www.collegesref.com/college/pennsylvania-college-of-technology-2096) | Ground Transportation | $54,938 | $62,389 | $12,000 |

## Related careers

- [Riggers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/riggers): $62,640 median pay
- [Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/industrial-truck-and-tractor-operators): $46,420 median pay
- [Crane and Tower Operators](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/crane-and-tower-operators): $68,080 median pay
- [Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/operating-engineers-and-other-construction-equipment-operators): $59,850 median pay
- [Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/excavating-and-loading-machine-and-dragline-operators-surface-mining): $57,430 median pay
- [Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/mobile-heavy-equipment-mechanics-except-engines): $65,510 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.