Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining in Wheeling

BLS metro-level wage data places Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining pay in Wheeling, WV-OH at a median of $81,100 per year ($38.99/hr/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $74,500, Wheeling pays +9% above, signaling either concentrated employer demand, a cost-of-living premium, or both. Approximately 140 loading and moving machine operators, underground minings are employed across the Wheeling MSA in SOC 47-5044.

The Wheeling pay distribution spans from $65,040 at the 10th percentile to $84,890 at the 90th, a 1.3× spread that reflects experience tenure, specialization, employer size, and the difference between public-sector, nonprofit, and private-sector compensation inside the metro. The 25th percentile sits at $65,040 and the 75th at $84,890, so half of Wheeling-based loading and moving machine operators, underground minings earn within that middle band.

Metro figures capture where you actually work, not just where you live, which matters for commuters. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Wheeling, WV-OH covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. Remember that OEWS wages reflect base pay only: employer-provided health insurance, retirement matches, stock options, signing bonuses, overtime, and tips are excluded and can add 20-40% to real total compensation. Before using this metro median as a negotiation anchor, triangulate against the same occupation's national profile (linked below), its state-wide WV data, and peer-metro comparisons, a median is a starting point, not a ceiling.