Construction and Extraction Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages O*NET task lead SOC 47-5041

Continuous Mining Machine Operators

O*NET task statements lead this Continuous Mining Machine Operators card before OEWS pay; neighboring titles include Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers, Structural Iron and Steel Workers, Boilermakers, Terrazzo Workers and Finishers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Continuous Mining Machine Operators: Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers ($110K) , Structural Iron and Steel Workers ($63K) , Boilermakers ($76K) , Terrazzo Workers and Finishers ($76K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Continuous Mining Machine Operators publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 47-5041 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Hang ventilation tubing and ventilation curtains to ensure that the mining face area is kept properly ventilated
  2. 2. Conduct methane gas checks to ensure breathing quality of air
  3. 3. Check the stability of roof and rib support systems before mining face areas
  4. 4. Operate mining machines to gather coal and convey it to floors or shuttle cars
  5. 5. Drive machines into position at working faces
  6. 6. Move controls to start and regulate movement of conveyors and to start and position drill cutters or torches
  7. 7. Reposition machines to make additional holes or cuts
  8. 8. Determine locations, boundaries, and depths of holes or channels to be cut
  9. 9. Install casings to prevent cave-ins
  10. 10. Observe and listen to equipment operation to detect binding or stoppage of tools or other equipment malfunctions
  11. 11. Scrape or wash conveyors, using belt scrapers or belt washers, to minimize dust production
  12. 12. Move levers to raise and lower hydraulic safety bars supporting roofs above machines until other workers complete framing

Continuous Mining Machine Operators: O*NET ranks Operations Monitoring first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 47-5041 - lead skill Operations Monitoring at 3.9 ; lead knowledge Mechanical. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Operations Monitoring 3.9
  2. 2. Operation and Control 3.9
  3. 3. Equipment Maintenance 3.4
  4. 4. Critical Thinking 3.3
  5. 5. Troubleshooting 3.3
  6. 6. Repairing 3.1
  7. 7. Judgment and Decision Making 3.1
  8. 8. Active Listening 3.0

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Mechanical 3.9
  2. 2. Production and Processing 3.7
  3. 3. Law and Government 3.4
  4. 4. Education and Training 3.3
  5. 5. English Language 2.8
  6. 6. Administration and Management 2.8
National median after O*NET task lead
$61,810
/year · 12 published task lines above
Lead task: Hang ventilation tubing and ventilation curtains to ensure that the mining face area is kept properly ventilated
$62K
National median
↑ +1%
Growth 2024-2034
1,600
Annual openings
14,000
Estimated US jobs
Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers
Highest-pay peer · $110K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education No formal educational credential

Top Paying States for Continuous Mining Machine Operators

1. Indiana $71,570
2. Colorado $81,110
3. California $62,790
4. Minnesota $90,820
5. West Virginia $77,570
6. Illinois $74,830
7. Virginia $63,480
8. Nevada $85,590
9. Wyoming $85,260
10. Florida $62,580

Other Construction and Extraction Occupations titles

  1. 1. Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers $109,910
  2. 2. Structural Iron and Steel Workers $62,780
  3. 3. Boilermakers $76,410
  4. 4. Terrazzo Workers and Finishers $76,170
  5. 5. Construction and Building Inspectors $74,690
  6. 6. Roof Bolters, Mining $78,540

O*NET publishes 12 leading task statements for Continuous Mining Machine Operators (SOC 47-5041). The national OEWS median is $61,810 inside Construction and Extraction Occupations. Same-group neighbors: Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers, Structural Iron and Steel Workers, Boilermakers, Terrazzo Workers and Finishers. Lead published task: Hang ventilation tubing and ventilation curtains to ensure that the mining face area is kept properly ventilated.

Employment Projections expect +1% change between 2024 and 2034 (slower than average vs baseline 3.1%). About 1,600 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns No formal educational credential as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Indiana at $71,570. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers at $109,910. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Continuous Mining Machine Operators pay-rank #17 in Construction and Extraction Occupations

Among 60 detailed Construction and Extraction Occupations with a published OEWS median, Continuous Mining Machine Operators is pay-rank #17, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 47-5041 · national median $61,810 · upper third of Construction and Extraction Occupations (#17/60). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Continuous Mining Machine Operators salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 47-5041

Indiana · top state for Continuous Mining Machine Operators

$72K published median

Colorado · #2 state pay

$81K · behind Indiana

Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers

Highest-pay peer vs Continuous Mining Machine Operators · $110K

Structural Iron and Steel Workers

Lower-pay peer beside Continuous Mining Machine Operators · $63K

Compare Continuous Mining Machine Operators

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
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Role and task next reads

Continuous Mining Machine Operators full salary map

State and metro OEWS after the task lead

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which Construction and Extraction Occupations titles sit near Continuous Mining Machine Operators at the top of the pay table? ▼
Continuous Mining Machine Operators is pay-rank #17 of 60 detailed Construction and Extraction Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Sheet Metal Workers ($62K), Brickmasons and Blockmasons ($62K), Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters ($61K), Structural Iron and Steel Workers ($63K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do continuous mining machine operators do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Continuous Mining Machine Operators. Leading ones include: Hang ventilation tubing and ventilation curtains to ensure that the mining face area is kept properly ventilated; Conduct methane gas checks to ensure breathing quality of air; Check the stability of roof and rib support systems before mining face areas; Operate mining machines to gather coal and convey it to floors or shuttle cars. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for continuous mining machine operators? ▼
For SOC 47-5041, O*NET importance scores lead with Operations Monitoring (3.9), Operation and Control (3.9), Equipment Maintenance (3.4), Critical Thinking (3.3). Knowledge areas emphasize Mechanical, Production and Processing, Law and Government. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Continuous Mining Machine Operators? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $61,810 as the national median for Continuous Mining Machine Operators. The published 10th-90th range is $46,770 to $86,210. Beside Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers ($109,910), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Continuous Mining Machine Operators? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Continuous Mining Machine Operators is +1%. Projected annual openings: about 1,600. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: slower than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Continuous Mining Machine Operators? ▼
BLS assigns No formal educational credential as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Continuous Mining Machine Operators. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Continuous Mining Machine Operators? ▼
Indiana ($71,570), Colorado ($81,110), California ($62,790) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Continuous Mining Machine Operators card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 47-5041. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Continuous Mining Machine Operators. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics