Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining in the Des Moines-West Des Moines Metro

BLS metro-level wage data places Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining pay in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA at a median of $61,830 per year ($29.73/hr), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared with the national median of $57,430, the metro estimate is +8% above. OEWS reports the difference but does not identify its cause. Approximately 80 excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining are employed across the Des Moines-West Des Moines MSA in SOC 47-5022.

The Des Moines-West Des Moines pay distribution spans from $51,300 at the 10th percentile to $77,630 at the 90th, a 1.5× observed spread. Differences in specialization, employer, sector, location, credentials, schedule, and experience may all contribute, but OEWS does not isolate their effects. The 25th percentile sits at $59,390 and the 75th at $63,590, so half of Des Moines-West Des Moines-based excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining earn within that middle band.

Metro figures use establishment work location, not worker residence. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. OEWS includes straight-time pay, tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses. It excludes employer health and retirement benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, signing bonuses, and other nonproduction bonuses. The same occupation's national profile, statewide IA estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.