Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining in the Syracuse Metro

BLS metro-level wage data places Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining pay in Syracuse, NY at a median of $49,840 per year ($23.96/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 13% below. 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 Syracuse MSA in SOC 47-5022.

The Syracuse pay distribution spans from $41,450 at the 10th percentile to $64,200 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 $47,640 and the 75th at $63,190, so half of Syracuse-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 Syracuse, NY 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 NY estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.