Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers

Detailed Occupation

Add Comparison

2021 Workforce

30.6k

Average Age

41.3

Average Salary

$60,869

Average Male Salary

$61,037

Average Female Salary

$51,900

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 $60,869 in 2021.

The locations that employ the most Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers are Rural Nevada PUMA, NV, Bozeman City PUMA, MT, and Alamo Area COG (Southwest) PUMA, TX. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers are Rural Nevada PUMA, NV, Gila, Graham, Greenlee & Pinal (East) Counties PUMA, AZ, and Alamo Area COG (Southwest) 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 2021 was 30,631 people, of which 1.83% were women and 98.2% 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 Rural Nevada PUMA, NV.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

30,069

Male Workforce

± 4.26k

562

Female Workforce

± 582

The Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers workforce in 2021 was 30,631 people (1.83% women and 98.2% men). This implies an average annual growth of −12.7% between 2018 (35,084) and 2021 (30,631).

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 2021, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Wyoming ($106,365), Alaska ($92,313), and Oklahoma ($84,731).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$60,869

AVERAGE WAGE

#202 in the ranking (2021)

$59,596

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2021, Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers earned an average of $60,869, $1,274 more than the average national salary of $59,596

The graph shows the ranking of Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2021.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.309

WAGE GINI

In 2021, Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.309, which is lower than the national average of 0.478. 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 Metal ore mining ($88,490).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

30.6k

2021 Workforce

± 4,296

−5.61%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 20.7%

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 72.8%, followed by Nonmetallic mineral mining & quarrying with 14.4% and Support activities for mining with 12.8%.

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 2021 was 30,631 people, with 1.83% woman, and 98.2% men. The average age of male Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers in the workforce is 41.3 and of female Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers is 40, 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 2021 was 30,631 people, with 1.83% woman, and 98.2% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 25 to 29 years (4,238 people), 40 to 44 years (4,227 people), and 35 to 39 years (3,849 people). Among them they concentrated 40.9% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2021, 19.4% of Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers workers were Hispanic and 80.6% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (86.8%), Salvadoran (8.23)%, and All Other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino (4.97)%

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

Races

In 2021, 82.4% of the Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers workforce were White, of which 1.76% were women and 98.2% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Black (5.62%) and Two or More Races (5.61%).

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 2021 were Construction.

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 2021 (counting all academic degrees) were Business (234 people), Engineering (198 people), and Social Sciences (103 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 (17,046 people), Some college (5,753 people), and Secondary Education (4,150 people).

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