Also called: Crane Game Operator, Amusement Vending Route Operator
Owns or services a route of claw machines and prize games in stores, restaurants and arcades, restocking prizes and collecting money.
He loads his van with plush toys and drives to 20 grocery stores and pizza shops. At each stop he empties the coin box, refills prizes, tests the claw and adjusts the payout settings as state rules allow. At home he records which locations earn the most.
Owners earn profit after machine, prize and location costs.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. No degree; learned on the job or by buying machines.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Self-taught. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Business Administration.
Growing about average. Claw machines are popular again thanks to social media and Japanese-style arcades.
Medium risk for 10 years. Card readers and apps track sales remotely; restocking, repairs and finding locations stay human.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply to amusement and vending route companies as a route tech; you need a driver's license
Classes: Business, Electronics CTE, Math.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.