Construction and Extraction Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages O*NET task lead SOC 47-5022

Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining

O*NET task statements lead this Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining card before OEWS pay; neighboring titles include Roof Bolters, Mining, Brickmasons and Blockmasons, Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining, Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining: Roof Bolters, Mining ($79K) , Brickmasons and Blockmasons ($62K) , Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining ($75K) , Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators ($70K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 47-5022 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Move levers, depress foot pedals, and turn dials to operate power machinery, such as power shovels, stripping shovels, scraper loaders, o…
  2. 2. Set up or inspect equipment prior to operation
  3. 3. Become familiar with digging plans, machine capabilities and limitations, and efficient and safe digging procedures in a given application
  4. 4. Observe hand signals, grade stakes, or other markings when operating machines so that work can be performed to specifications
  5. 5. Operate machinery to perform activities such as backfilling excavations, vibrating or breaking rock or concrete, or making winter roads
  6. 6. Receive written or oral instructions regarding material movement or excavation
  7. 7. Direct workers engaged in placing blocks or outriggers to prevent capsizing of machines when lifting heavy loads
  8. 8. Move materials over short distances, such as around a construction site, factory, or warehouse
  9. 9. Measure and verify levels of rock or gravel, bases, or other excavated material
  10. 10. Create or maintain inclines or ramps
  11. 11. Lubricate, adjust, or repair machinery and replace parts, such as gears, bearings, or bucket teeth
  12. 12. Direct ground workers engaged in activities such as moving stakes or markers, or changing positions of towers

Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining: O*NET ranks Operation and Control first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 47-5022 - lead skill Operation and Control at 4.1 ; lead knowledge Mechanical. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Operation and Control 4.1
  2. 2. Operations Monitoring 3.6
  3. 3. Monitoring 3.1
  4. 4. Reading Comprehension 3.0
  5. 5. Active Listening 3.0
  6. 6. Speaking 3.0
  7. 7. Critical Thinking 3.0
  8. 8. Active Learning 3.0

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Mechanical 3.2
  2. 2. Building and Construction 3.2
  3. 3. Public Safety and Security 3.0
  4. 4. English Language 2.6
  5. 5. Mathematics 2.6
  6. 6. Design 2.4
National median after O*NET task lead
$57,430
/year · 12 published task lines above
Lead task: Move levers, depress foot pedals, and turn dials to operate power machinery, such as power shovels, stripping shovels, scraper loaders, o…
$57K
National median
↓ -0%
Growth 2024-2034
3,100
Annual openings
34,480
Estimated US jobs
Roof Bolters, Mining
Highest-pay peer · $79K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent
Related experience Less than 5 years

Top Paying States for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining

1. Wyoming $78,230
2. North Dakota $90,380
3. Alaska $74,680
4. Illinois $80,600
5. Massachusetts $76,070
6. Montana $65,850
7. New Mexico $76,350
8. California $74,500
9. New Jersey $80,310
10. Connecticut $65,710

Other Construction and Extraction Occupations titles

  1. 1. Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining $74,500
  2. 2. Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators $70,070
  3. 3. Roof Bolters, Mining $78,540
  4. 4. Tapers $68,270
  5. 5. Brickmasons and Blockmasons $62,120
  6. 6. Pile Driver Operators $73,300

O*NET publishes 12 leading task statements for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining (SOC 47-5022). The national OEWS median is $57,430 inside Construction and Extraction Occupations. Same-group neighbors: Roof Bolters, Mining, Brickmasons and Blockmasons, Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining, Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators. Lead published task: Move levers, depress foot pedals, and turn dials to operate power machinery, such as power shovels, stripping shovels, scraper loaders, o….

Employment Projections expect -0% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 3,100 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry and less than 5 years as the typical related-work-experience category. 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: Wyoming at $78,230. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Roof Bolters, Mining at $78,540. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining pay-rank #29 in Construction and Extraction Occupations

Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining sits at pay-rank #29 of 60 detailed Construction and Extraction Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table 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 47-5022 · national median $57,430 · middle third of Construction and Extraction Occupations (#29/60). The day-to-day tasks above set this role apart from peers with a similar title.

Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 47-5022

Wyoming · top state for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining

$78K published median

North Dakota · #2 state pay

$90K · behind Wyoming

Roof Bolters, Mining

Highest-pay peer vs Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining · $79K

Brickmasons and Blockmasons

Lower-pay peer beside Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining · $62K

Compare Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining with another occupation →

Role and task next reads

Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining full salary map

State and metro OEWS after the task lead

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Side-by-side with another occupation

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining mid-table among Construction and Extraction Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #29 of 60 detailed Construction and Extraction Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Stonemasons ($57K), Plasterers and Stucco Masons ($58K), Glaziers ($57K), Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers ($57K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining. Leading ones include: Move levers, depress foot pedals, and turn dials to operate power machinery, such as power shovels, stripping shovels, scraper loaders, o…; Set up or inspect equipment prior to operation; Become familiar with digging plans, machine capabilities and limitations, and efficient and safe digging procedures in a given application; Observe hand signals, grade stakes, or other markings when operating machines so that work can be performed to specifications. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining? ▼
For SOC 47-5022, O*NET importance scores lead with Operation and Control (4.1), Operations Monitoring (3.6), Monitoring (3.1), Reading Comprehension (3.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Mechanical, Building and Construction, Public Safety and Security. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $57,430 as the national median for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining. The published 10th-90th range is $41,600 to $82,400. Beside Roof Bolters, Mining ($78,540), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining is -0%. Projected annual openings: about 3,100. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining. Related-work-experience category: less than 5 years. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining? ▼
Wyoming ($78,230), North Dakota ($90,380), Alaska ($74,680) 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 Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 47-5022. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining. 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