Architecture and Engineering Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 17-2151

Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers

The published band from $67,490 to $169,990 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Petroleum Engineers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers: Petroleum Engineers ($145K) , Industrial Engineers ($102K) , Electronics Engineers, Except Computer ($130K) , Nuclear Engineers ($134K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 17-2151 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Prepare technical reports for use by mining, engineering, and management personnel
  2. 2. Inspect mining areas for unsafe structures, equipment, and working conditions
  3. 3. Test air to detect toxic gases and recommend measures to remove them, such as installation of ventilation shafts
  4. 4. Select or develop mineral location, extraction, and production methods, based on factors such as safety, cost, and deposit characteristics
  5. 5. Select locations and plan underground or surface mining operations, specifying processes, labor usage, and equipment that will result in…
  6. 6. Implement and coordinate mine safety programs, including the design and maintenance of protective and rescue equipment and safety devices
  7. 7. Devise solutions to problems of land reclamation and water and air pollution, such as methods of storing excavated soil and returning exh…
  8. 8. Prepare schedules, reports, and estimates of the costs involved in developing and operating mines
  9. 9. Lay out, direct, and supervise mine construction operations, such as the construction of shafts and tunnels
  10. 10. Monitor mine production rates to assess operational effectiveness
  11. 11. Supervise, train, and evaluate technicians, technologists, survey personnel, engineers, scientists or other mine personnel
  12. 12. Examine maps, deposits, drilling locations, or mines to determine the location, size, accessibility, contents, value, and potential profi…

Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers: O*NET ranks Complex Problem Solving first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 17-2151 - lead skill Complex Problem Solving at 4.1 ; lead knowledge Engineering and Technology. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Complex Problem Solving 4.1
  2. 2. Reading Comprehension 4.0
  3. 3. Writing 4.0
  4. 4. Speaking 4.0
  5. 5. Critical Thinking 4.0
  6. 6. Judgment and Decision Making 4.0
  7. 7. Active Listening 3.9
  8. 8. Mathematics 3.8

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Engineering and Technology 4.5
  2. 2. Mathematics 4.4
  3. 3. English Language 3.6
  4. 4. Production and Processing 3.6
  5. 5. Design 3.6
  6. 6. Administration and Management 3.4
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$67,490 to $169,990
median $106,220 · ~2.5× spread
$106K
National median
↑ +1%
Growth 2024-2034
400
Annual openings
6,080
Estimated US jobs
Petroleum Engineers
Highest-pay peer · $145K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree

Top Paying States for Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers

1. Wyoming $119,010
2. Nevada $107,500
3. Idaho $123,680
4. Utah $125,520
5. Indiana $113,640
6. Florida $117,500
7. Alaska $124,630
8. Illinois $107,690
9. California $158,130
10. Oklahoma $131,660

Other Architecture and Engineering Occupations titles

  1. 1. Electronics Engineers, Except Computer $130,220
  2. 2. Petroleum Engineers $144,910
  3. 3. Nuclear Engineers $133,970
  4. 4. Aerospace Engineers $134,960
  5. 5. Chemical Engineers $125,040
  6. 6. Industrial Engineers $102,440

The OEWS band for Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers runs from $67,490 (10th) to $169,990 (90th), about 2.5× wide, with median $106,220. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +1% change between 2024 and 2034 (slower than average vs baseline 3.1%). About 400 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree 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: Wyoming at $119,010. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Petroleum Engineers at $144,910. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers pay-rank #14 in Architecture and Engineering Occupations

Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers sits at pay-rank #14 of 36 detailed Architecture and Engineering 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.

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 17-2151

Wyoming · top state for Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers

$119K published median

Nevada · #2 state pay

$108K · behind Wyoming

Petroleum Engineers

Highest-pay peer vs Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers · $145K

Industrial Engineers

Lower-pay peer beside Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers · $102K

Compare Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers mid-table among Architecture and Engineering Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #14 of 36 detailed Architecture and Engineering Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Environmental Engineers ($107K), Mechanical Engineers ($104K), Industrial Engineers ($102K), Civil Engineers ($101K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers. Leading ones include: Prepare technical reports for use by mining, engineering, and management personnel; Inspect mining areas for unsafe structures, equipment, and working conditions; Test air to detect toxic gases and recommend measures to remove them, such as installation of ventilation shafts; Select or develop mineral location, extraction, and production methods, based on factors such as safety, cost, and deposit characteristics. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers? ▼
For SOC 17-2151, O*NET importance scores lead with Complex Problem Solving (4.1), Reading Comprehension (4.0), Writing (4.0), Speaking (4.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Engineering and Technology, Mathematics, English Language. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $67,490 and the 90th at $169,990 for Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers (2.5× spread). The national median is $106,220. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers is +1%. Projected annual openings: about 400. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: slower than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers? ▼
Wyoming ($119,010), Nevada ($107,500), Idaho ($123,680) 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 Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 17-2151. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers. 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