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Rigger

💰 Earn $72K-$102K
📚 High School Diploma or GED
⏱️ 6–12 Month Training
📈 3.2% Job Growth
  • Ideal for those who love hands-on work and ensuring safety in dynamic environments.
  • Essential role in moving and securing heavy loads across various industries.
  • Unique chance to work in diverse settings, from shipyards to entertainment stages.
Rigger
What Riggers DoSet up or repair rigging for construction projects, manufacturing plants, logging yards, ships and shipyards, or for the entertainment industry.
  • 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 equipment.
  • Tilt, dip, and turn suspended loads to maneuver over, under, or around obstacles, using multi-point suspension techniques.
  • Select gear, such as cables, pulleys, and winches, according to load weights and sizes, facilities, and work schedules.
Riggers Education, Salary, and Growth
Minimum EducationHigh School Diploma or GED
Career ProspectsGood (Increasing by 1-5%)
Training Time6 months to 1 year
Job Openings2,500 Annually
Median Earnings
$83,320 in California
$62,060 Nationally

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Real Talk Reel

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Is This Career Right For You?
YOU Like
  • Thinking and problem solving
  • Using data or completing tasks
  • Working with my hands
you value
  • Having support
  • Job security
  • Personal relationships
you are skilled in
  • Active Listening
  • Critical Thinking
  • Speaking
  • Judgment and Decision Making
  • Monitoring
Go Deeper: Riggers Explained
RiggerExplore career pathways, key skills, and what each role has to offer.
How Do You Train for This Career?

Learn about the education and training paths that can lead to this career — and what to expect from each one.

Vocational SchoolA vocational school typically equips students with specialized skills and practical training in specific trades or occupations, enhancing their employability and providing direct pathways to relevant careers.
🎓 Skills-Focused
⏱️ Finish in 6 months - 2 years
Workforce Development ProgramA workforce development program typically enhances participants' opportunities to succeed in the workforce through employment skill-building, career counseling, connections to employers, and pathways to high-demand and high-wage jobs.
🎓 Skills-Focused
⏱️ Finish in 6 months - 2 years
ApprenticeshipAn apprenticeship typically offers a combination of hands-on training and classroom instruction, leading to practical skills, industry-specific knowledge, and the potential for long-term employment in a specific trade or profession.
🎓 Paid Work
⏱️ Finish in 2-5 years
Strategic EmploymentStrategic employment provides individuals with valuable work experience, opportunities for professional growth and networking, and exposure to an industry where they may want to pursue advancement.
🎓 Paid Work
⏱️ Finish in 1-3 years
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What Are Similar Careers?

Updated April 2026. Data sourced from O*NET and Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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