Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers

Detailed Occupation

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2024 Workforce

29.6k

Average Age

41.5

Average Salary

$67,735

Average Male Salary

$67,870

Average Female Salary

$61,651

About

Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers are most often employed by the Construction industry. The average yearly wage for Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers was $67,735 in 2024.

The locations that employ the most Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers are Rural Nevada PUMA, NV, Southwest Oklahoma Counties--Altus, Weatherford, Elk City, Clinton & Anadarko Cities PUMA, OK, and Cook, Lake & St. Louis (North) Counties PUMA, MN. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers are Jackson, Nicholas, Roane, Braxton, Clay, Gilmer, Calhoun Counties PUMA, WV, Gila, Graham, Greenlee Counties PUMA, AZ, and Cook, Lake & St. Louis (North) Counties PUMA, MN.

Natural resources, construction, & maintenance occupations Construction & Extraction Occupations

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers workforce. Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers workforce in 2024 was 29,568 people, of which 2.17% were women and 97.8% were men. Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers are paid most in Central Texas COG (West), Burnet & Llano Counties PUMA, TX but are relatively concentrated in Jackson, Nicholas, Roane, Braxton, Clay, Gilmer, Calhoun Counties PUMA, WV.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

28,927

Male Workforce

± 4.18k

641

Female Workforce

± 622

The Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers workforce in 2024 was 29,568 people (2.17% women and 97.8% men). This implies an average annual growth of −15.9% between 2018 (35,167) and 2024 (29,568).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers.

During 2024, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Alaska ($110,425), Oklahoma ($93,303), and Oregon ($90,473).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$67,735

AVERAGE WAGE

#210 in the ranking (2018)

$69,878

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2024, Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers earned an average of $67,735, $2,142 less than the average national salary of $69,878

The graph shows the ranking of Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2018.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.308

WAGE GINI

In 2024, Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.308, which is lower than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers and on wages for those in the field. Construction is the industry that employs the most Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers, by average wage, is Coal mining ($87,099).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

29.6k

2024 Workforce

± 4,221

−0.317%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 20.2%

This graphic shows the share of Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers employed by various industries. Construction employs the largest share of Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers at 70%, followed by Nonmetallic mineral mining & quarrying with 14.4% and Support activities for mining with 11%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers in the US. The workforce of Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers in 2024 was 29,568 people, with 2.17% woman, and 97.8% men. The average age of male Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers in the workforce is 41.4 and of female Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers is 47, and the most common race/ethnicity for Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers in 2024 was 29,568 people, with 2.17% woman, and 97.8% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 40 to 44 years (3,953 people), 30 to 34 years (3,629 people), and 35 to 39 years (3,581 people). Among them they concentrated 38.3% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2024, 19.2% of Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers workers were Hispanic and 80.8% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (83.3%), Salvadoran (7.93)%, and Puerto Rican (4.92)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2024, 74.8% of the Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers workforce were White, of which 2.11% were women and 97.9% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Two or More Races (12.7%) and Other (7.55%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers is Physical Sciences but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2024 were Natural Resources & Conservation.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers in 2024 (counting all academic degrees) were Physical Sciences (201 people), Natural Resources & Conservation (128 people), and Business (100 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers workers were High School or Equivalent (16,265 people), Some college (5,333 people), and Secondary Education (4,016 people).

The graphic shows the Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers workforce by gender and educational level.