Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining Salary: $83,103 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 34,210 excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining nationally earn a mean of $83,103. Employment in the series shown rose about 34% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 17.8% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining: what the data shows
Common questions about excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining?
Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 47-5022.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 34,210 workers.
What does a excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Controlling Machines and Processes, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Handling and Moving Objects, Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining make?
BLS national median annual wage: $52,550 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $83,103 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $50,595 |
| 25th percentile | $59,962 |
| Median (50th) | $75,743 |
| 75th percentile | $95,754 |
| 90th percentile | $142,108 |
What education do you need?
For Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Monitoring, Troubleshooting, Time Management, Speaking, and knowledge areas including Mechanical, Building and Construction, Public Safety and Security, English Language. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 17.8% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -62.5%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -86.0%.
Current U.S. headcount: 34,210.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface minings work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 34,210 | 20.4% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 33,180 | 19.7% |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction | 20,530 | 12.2% |
| Mining (except Oil and Gas) | 19,290 | 11.5% |
| Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying | 15,860 | 9.4% |
| Construction | 8,470 | 5.0% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining workforce.
Employment Over Time
34,210 Workforce in 2023
The Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$83,103 Average Wage
In 2023, Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining earned an average of $83,103.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining.
Salary distribution for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining.
Employment Growth Projections
-17.8% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
1,041 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -62.5%
390 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -86.0%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining.
Wage Trends by Industry
0.4% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- TX: 4,910 employees, $50,580 avg wage
- PA: 1,660 employees, $50,820 avg wage
- FL: 1,660 employees, $49,560 avg wage
- VA: 1,480 employees, $54,850 avg wage
- NY: 1,410 employees, $64,880 avg wage
- GA: 1,390 employees, $50,870 avg wage
- OK: 1,270 employees, $47,480 avg wage
- OH: 1,040 employees, $61,380 avg wage
- IL: 1,020 employees, $64,490 avg wage
- IN: 950 employees, $68,490 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 1,140 employees, $94,870 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 860 employees, $48,720 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 840 employees, $53,630 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 720 employees, $62,030 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 640 employees, $54,300 avg wage
- San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX: 620 employees, $53,350 avg wage
- Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 420 employees, $53,020 avg wage
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 390 employees, $79,840 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 390 employees, $73,710 avg wage
- Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD: 370 employees, $62,050 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining.
Diversity
Demographic information on Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining in 2023 was 34,210 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining workers.
Education level distribution for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining.
Skills
Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining need many skills, but most especially Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Monitoring, Troubleshooting, Time Management.
Required skills for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining include Mechanical, Building and Construction, Public Safety and Security, English Language, Mathematics.
Knowledge areas required for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining include Control Precision, Multilimb Coordination, Depth Perception, Reaction Time, Manual Dexterity.
Required abilities for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining.
Daily Activities
Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining spend their time on activities such as Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Controlling Machines and Processes, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Handling and Moving Objects, Getting Information.
Most important work activities for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining.
About
Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining
The average yearly wage for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining was $83,103 in 2023.
SOC Code
47-5022 - Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining reports an average salary of $83,103.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 34,210 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -17.8%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.