Continuous Mining Machine Operators Salary: $63,380 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 14,340 continuous mining machine operators work nationally, and $63,380 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown fell about 16% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 13.6% annual growth.
Continuous Mining Machine Operators: what the data shows
Common questions about continuous mining machine operators careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a continuous mining machine operators?
Continuous Mining Machine Operators is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 47-5041.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 14,340 workers.
What does a continuous mining machine operators do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Controlling Machines and Processes, Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a continuous mining machine operators make?
BLS national median annual wage: $63,380 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $72,088 — 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 | $54,908 |
| 25th percentile | $63,071 |
| Median (50th) | $75,372 |
| 75th percentile | $79,109 |
| 90th percentile | $83,803 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Equipment Maintenance, Troubleshooting, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, and knowledge areas including Mechanical, Production and Processing, Law and Government, Education and Training. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is continuous mining machine operators in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 13.6% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 89.0%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 257.2%.
Current U.S. headcount: 14,340.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do continuous mining machine operatorss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 14,340 | 20.6% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 14,330 | 20.6% |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction | 13,530 | 19.4% |
| Mining (except Oil and Gas) | 12,770 | 18.3% |
| Metal Ore Mining | 6,210 | 8.9% |
| Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying | 4,170 | 6.0% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Continuous Mining Machine Operators in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Continuous Mining Machine Operators workforce.
Employment Over Time
14,340 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Continuous Mining Machine Operators grew from 300 in 2009 to 2,300 in 2025 (666.7%).
Historical employment for Continuous Mining Machine Operators from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$63,380 Median pay (BLS national)
Continuous Mining Machine Operators earn $63,380 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Continuous Mining Machine Operators.
Salary distribution for Continuous Mining Machine Operators.
Employment Growth Projections
13.6% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
4,346 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 89.0%
8,214 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 257.2%
This occupation is projected to grow at 13.6% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Continuous Mining Machine Operators.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Continuous Mining Machine Operators and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Continuous Mining Machine Operators employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Continuous Mining Machine Operators.
Wage Trends by Industry
-13.6% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: 3.7% growth (Current: $84,882)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Continuous Mining Machine Operators.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Continuous Mining Machine Operators.
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:
- AZ: 2,190 employees, $59,740 avg wage
- UT: 1,400 employees, $68,700 avg wage
- NV: 1,230 employees, $84,330 avg wage
- MO: 1,100 employees, $50,610 avg wage
- WV: 850 employees, $70,310 avg wage
- CA: 850 employees, $70,030 avg wage
- TX: 660 employees, $38,860 avg wage
- KY: 550 employees, $57,160 avg wage
- PA: 390 employees, $54,650 avg wage
- IN: 360 employees, $66,520 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Continuous Mining Machine Operators.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- St. Louis, MO-IL: 230 employees, $50,880 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA: 190 employees, $67,450 avg wage
- Wheeling, WV-OH: 150 employees, $69,460 avg wage
- Beckley, WV: 140 employees, $68,660 avg wage
- Kansas City, MO-KS: 130 employees, $50,290 avg wage
- Charleston, WV: 90 employees, $70,320 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Continuous Mining Machine Operators.
Diversity
Demographic information on Continuous Mining Machine Operators in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Continuous Mining Machine Operators is about 14,340 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Continuous Mining Machine Operators.
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 Continuous Mining Machine Operators.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Continuous Mining Machine Operators.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Continuous Mining Machine Operators in 2023 were Business Administration, Engineering, Business.
Common majors for Continuous Mining Machine Operators.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Continuous Mining Machine Operators workers.
Education level distribution for Continuous Mining Machine Operators.
Skills
Continuous Mining Machine Operators need many skills, but most especially Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Equipment Maintenance, Troubleshooting, Critical Thinking.
Required skills for Continuous Mining Machine Operators.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Continuous Mining Machine Operators.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Continuous Mining Machine Operators include Mechanical, Production and Processing, Law and Government, Education and Training, English Language.
Knowledge areas required for Continuous Mining Machine Operators.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Continuous Mining Machine Operators include Control Precision, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Reaction Time, Multilimb Coordination, Problem Sensitivity.
Required abilities for Continuous Mining Machine Operators.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Continuous Mining Machine Operators.
Daily Activities
Continuous Mining Machine Operators spend their time on activities such as Controlling Machines and Processes, Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment.
Most important work activities for Continuous Mining Machine Operators.
About
Continuous Mining Machine Operators
Continuous Mining Machine Operators earn $63,380 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
47-5041 - Continuous Mining Machine Operators
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Continuous Mining Machine Operators reports an average salary of $72,088.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 14,340 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 13.6%, 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.