Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 49-9096

Riggers

The published band from $40,680 to $97,850 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Riggers: Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay ($103K) , Millwrights ($66K) , Watch and Clock Repairers ($67K) , Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment ($85K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Riggers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 49-9096 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Test rigging to ensure safety and reliability
  2. 2. Signal or verbally direct workers engaged in hoisting and moving loads to ensure safety of workers and materials
  3. 3. Control movement of heavy equipment through narrow openings or confined spaces, using chainfalls, gin poles, gallows frames, and other eq…
  4. 4. Tilt, dip, and turn suspended loads to maneuver over, under, or around obstacles, using multi-point suspension techniques
  5. 5. Select gear, such as cables, pulleys, and winches, according to load weights and sizes, facilities, and work schedules
  6. 6. Dismantle and store rigging equipment after use
  7. 7. Attach loads to rigging to provide support or prepare them for moving, using hand and power tools
  8. 8. Manipulate rigging lines, hoists, and pulling gear to move or support materials, such as heavy equipment, ships, or theatrical sets
  9. 9. Align, level, and anchor machinery
  10. 10. Install ground rigging for yarding lines, attaching chokers to logs and to the lines
  11. 11. Load machines onto trucks to prepare for transportation
  12. 12. Attach pulleys and blocks to fixed overhead structures, such as beams, ceilings, and gin pole booms, using bolts and clamps

Riggers: O*NET ranks Operation and Control first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 49-9096 - lead skill Operation and Control at 3.3 ; lead knowledge Mechanical. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Operation and Control 3.3
  2. 2. Reading Comprehension 3.1
  3. 3. Active Listening 3.1
  4. 4. Critical Thinking 3.1
  5. 5. Monitoring 3.1
  6. 6. Coordination 3.1
  7. 7. Operations Monitoring 3.1
  8. 8. Speaking 3.0

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Mechanical 3.7
  2. 2. Public Safety and Security 3.6
  3. 3. Production and Processing 3.6
  4. 4. Customer and Personal Service 3.5
  5. 5. Administration and Management 3.4
  6. 6. Design 3.3
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$40,680 to $97,850
median $62,640 · ~2.4× spread
$63K
National median
↑ +3%
Growth 2024-2034
2,500
Annual openings
22,530
Estimated US jobs
Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay
Highest-pay peer · $103K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Riggers

1. New York $105,600
2. Nevada $81,720
3. California $85,730
4. Illinois $81,860
5. New Jersey $82,130
6. Minnesota $87,120
7. Hawaii $84,410
8. Oregon $94,470
9. Maryland $91,420
10. Utah $93,640

Other Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations titles

  1. 1. Watch and Clock Repairers $67,230
  2. 2. Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment $84,890
  3. 3. Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay $103,020
  4. 4. Commercial Divers $72,990
  5. 5. Millwrights $65,700
  6. 6. Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians $79,870

The OEWS band for Riggers runs from $40,680 (10th) to $97,850 (90th), about 2.4× wide, with median $62,640. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +3% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 2,500 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: New York at $105,600. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay at $103,020. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Riggers pay-rank #21 in Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations

Riggers sits at pay-rank #21 of 51 detailed Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 49-9096 · national median $62,640 · middle third of Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations (#21/51). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Riggers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 49-9096

New York · top state for Riggers

$106K published median

Nevada · #2 state pay

$82K · behind New York

Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay

Highest-pay peer vs Riggers · $103K

Millwrights

Lower-pay peer beside Riggers · $66K

Compare Riggers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Riggers with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Riggers mid-table among Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #21 of 51 detailed Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists ($62K), Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers ($64K), Medical Equipment Repairers ($62K), Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers ($64K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do riggers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Riggers. Leading ones include: Test rigging to ensure safety and reliability; Signal or verbally direct workers engaged in hoisting and moving loads to ensure safety of workers and materials; Control movement of heavy equipment through narrow openings or confined spaces, using chainfalls, gin poles, gallows frames, and other eq…; Tilt, dip, and turn suspended loads to maneuver over, under, or around obstacles, using multi-point suspension techniques. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for riggers? ▼
For SOC 49-9096, O*NET importance scores lead with Operation and Control (3.3), Reading Comprehension (3.1), Active Listening (3.1), Critical Thinking (3.1). Knowledge areas emphasize Mechanical, Public Safety and Security, Production and Processing. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Riggers? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $40,680 and the 90th at $97,850 for Riggers (2.4× spread). The national median is $62,640. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Riggers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Riggers is +3%. Projected annual openings: about 2,500. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Riggers? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Riggers. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Riggers? ▼
New York ($105,600), Nevada ($81,720), California ($85,730) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Riggers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 49-9096. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Riggers. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics