Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers

Detailed Occupation

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2023 Workforce

29.7k

Average Age

41.5

Average Salary

$66,743

Average Male Salary

$66,796

Average Female Salary

$64,469

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 $66,743 in 2023.

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 East Texas COG (Northeast)--Harrison, Upshur & Marion Counties PUMA, TX. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers are Gila, Graham, Greenlee Counties PUMA, AZ, Rural Nevada PUMA, NV, and East Texas COG (Northeast)--Harrison, Upshur & Marion Counties PUMA, TX.

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 2023 was 29,662 people, of which 2.25% were women and 97.8% were men. Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers are paid most in Brazos Valley COG (Outside Brazos County) & Milam County PUMA, TX but are relatively concentrated in Gila, Graham, Greenlee Counties PUMA, AZ.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

28,996

Male Workforce

± 4.18k

666

Female Workforce

± 634

The Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers workforce in 2023 was 29,662 people (2.25% women and 97.8% men). This implies an average annual growth of −15.7% between 2018 (35,167) and 2023 (29,662).

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 2023, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Wyoming ($121,601), Alaska ($109,918), and Nevada ($93,442).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$66,743

AVERAGE WAGE

#205 in the ranking (2023)

$67,727

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2023, Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers earned an average of $66,743, $984 less than the average national salary of $67,727

The graph shows the ranking of Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2023.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.315

WAGE GINI

In 2023, Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.315, which is lower than the national average of 0.476. 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 Support activities for mining ($88,702).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

29.7k

2023 Workforce

± 4,228

−3.07%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 20.6%

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 67.5%, followed by Nonmetallic mineral mining & quarrying with 15.9% and Support activities for mining with 12.2%.

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 2023 was 29,662 people, with 2.25% 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 44.6, 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 2023 was 29,662 people, with 2.25% woman, and 97.8% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 40 to 44 years (4,237 people), 35 to 39 years (3,689 people), and 30 to 34 years (3,646 people). Among them they concentrated 39.5% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2023, 21.6% of Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers workers were Hispanic and 78.4% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (84.1%), Puerto Rican (6.35)%, and Salvadoran (5.56)%

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

Races

In 2023, 75.7% of the Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers workforce were White, of which 2.06% were women and 97.9% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Two or More Races (10.3%) and Other (7.54%).

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 Business but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2023 were Engineering Technologies.

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 2023 (counting all academic degrees) were Business (139 people), Engineering (129 people), and Physical Sciences (121 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 (16,139 people), Some college (5,454 people), and Secondary Education (4,086 people).

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