Construction and Extraction Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages O*NET task lead SOC 47-5044

Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining

O*NET task statements lead this Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining card before OEWS pay; neighboring titles include Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers, Continuous Mining Machine Operators, Brickmasons and Blockmasons, Tapers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining: Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers ($110K) , Continuous Mining Machine Operators ($62K) , Brickmasons and Blockmasons ($62K) , Tapers ($68K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 47-5044 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Handle high voltage sources and hang electrical cables
  2. 2. Drive loaded shuttle cars to ramps and move controls to discharge loads into mine cars or onto conveyors
  3. 3. Pry off loose material from roofs and move it into the paths of machines, using crowbars
  4. 4. Move trailing electrical cables clear of obstructions, using rubber safety gloves
  5. 5. Stop gathering arms when cars are full
  6. 6. Control conveyors that run the entire length of shuttle cars to distribute loads as loading progresses
  7. 7. Observe hand signals, grade stakes, or other markings when operating machines
  8. 8. Examine roadway and clear obstructions from the path of travel
  9. 9. Drive machines into piles of material blasted from working faces
  10. 10. Operate levers to move conveyor booms or shovels so that mine contents such as coal, rock, and ore can be placed into cars or onto conveyors
  11. 11. Move mine cars into position for loading and unloading, using pinchbars inserted under car wheels to position cars under loading spouts
  12. 12. Clean, fuel, service, and perform safety checks on all equipment, and repair and replace parts as necessary

Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining: O*NET ranks Operation and Control first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 47-5044 - lead skill Operation and Control at 3.4 ; lead knowledge Mechanical. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Operation and Control 3.4
  2. 2. Operations Monitoring 3.3
  3. 3. Troubleshooting 3.1
  4. 4. Active Listening 3.0
  5. 5. Speaking 3.0
  6. 6. Critical Thinking 3.0
  7. 7. Coordination 3.0
  8. 8. Equipment Maintenance 3.0

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Mechanical 3.3
  2. 2. Education and Training 3.0
  3. 3. Law and Government 2.8
  4. 4. English Language 2.8
  5. 5. Production and Processing 2.8
  6. 6. Public Safety and Security 2.6
National median after O*NET task lead
$74,500
/year · 12 published task lines above
Lead task: Handle high voltage sources and hang electrical cables
$75K
National median
↓ -22%
Growth 2024-2034
500
Annual openings
5,930
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 Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining

1. Illinois $75,890
2. Virginia $76,900
3. Pennsylvania $75,240
4. South Carolina $80,480
5. West Virginia $74,950
6. Arizona $72,430
7. Nevada $82,920
8. Alaska $93,130
9. Colorado $79,150
10. Wyoming $112,110

Other Construction and Extraction Occupations titles

  1. 1. Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers $109,910
  2. 2. Brickmasons and Blockmasons $62,120
  3. 3. Tapers $68,270
  4. 4. Structural Iron and Steel Workers $62,780
  5. 5. Terrazzo Workers and Finishers $76,170
  6. 6. Continuous Mining Machine Operators $61,810

O*NET publishes 12 leading task statements for Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining (SOC 47-5044). The national OEWS median is $74,500 inside Construction and Extraction Occupations. Same-group neighbors: Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers, Continuous Mining Machine Operators, Brickmasons and Blockmasons, Tapers. Lead published task: Handle high voltage sources and hang electrical cables.

Employment Projections expect -22% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 500 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: Illinois at $75,890. 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.

Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining pay-rank #7 in Construction and Extraction Occupations

Among 60 detailed Construction and Extraction Occupations with a published OEWS median, Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining is pay-rank #7, 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 47-5044 · national median $74,500 · upper third of Construction and Extraction Occupations (#7/60). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 47-5044

Illinois · top state for Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining

$76K published median

Virginia · #2 state pay

$77K · behind Illinois

Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers

Highest-pay peer vs Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining · $110K

Continuous Mining Machine Operators

Lower-pay peer beside Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining · $62K

Compare Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining with another occupation →

Role and task next reads

Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining full salary map

State and metro OEWS after the task lead

Compare tasks and pay

Side-by-side with another occupation

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Construction and Extraction Occupations titles sit near Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining at the top of the pay table? ▼
Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining is pay-rank #7 of 60 detailed Construction and Extraction Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Construction and Building Inspectors ($75K), Pile Driver Operators ($73K), Terrazzo Workers and Finishers ($76K), Boilermakers ($76K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do loading and moving machine operators, underground mining do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining. Leading ones include: Handle high voltage sources and hang electrical cables; Drive loaded shuttle cars to ramps and move controls to discharge loads into mine cars or onto conveyors; Pry off loose material from roofs and move it into the paths of machines, using crowbars; Move trailing electrical cables clear of obstructions, using rubber safety gloves. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for loading and moving machine operators, underground mining? ▼
For SOC 47-5044, O*NET importance scores lead with Operation and Control (3.4), Operations Monitoring (3.3), Troubleshooting (3.1), Active Listening (3.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Mechanical, Education and Training, Law and Government. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $74,500 as the national median for Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining. The published 10th-90th range is $52,030 to $87,730. 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 Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining is -22%. Projected annual openings: about 500. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining? ▼
BLS assigns No formal educational credential as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining? ▼
Illinois ($75,890), Virginia ($76,900), Pennsylvania ($75,240) 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 Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 47-5044. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground 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