Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining Job Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of surface mining excavating and loading machine and dragline operators to grow 1.0% from 2025 to 2035 (about 400 more jobs), with about 2,400 openings a year, and the May 2025 median pay of $57,430 a year ranks 466th of 825 occupations.
- Projected change
- +1.0%
- Openings a year
- 2,400
- Median pay
- $57,430
- Pay rank
- 466th of 825
Is employment of surface mining excavating and loading machine and dragline operators growing or shrinking?
Growing: BLS projects employment of surface mining excavating and loading machine and dragline operators to rise 1.0% (about 400 more jobs) from 2025 to 2035, slower than the 3.5% projected across all occupations. That is slower than the +5.1% summed from BLS's employment levels across the 60 construction and extraction occupations with a projection. That change ranks 554th of 830 projected occupations.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Employment, 2025 | 34,700 |
| Employment, 2035 | 35,000 |
| Projected change | +1.0% |
| Openings a year | 2,400 |
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035. A projection is a BLS estimate, not a count. The 34,700 jobs here differ from the 34,480 on the salary page because Employment Projections also counts the self-employed and a wider set of workers, while OEWS counts wage and salary jobs in May 2025. BLS published these projections on August 27, 2026; checked November 10, 2026. Confirm any figure in the BLS Employment Projections tables.
BLS's reasons for this projection are at the Occupational Outlook Handbook. State projections are at Projections Central; projections by industry are left to BLS. Education, licensing and work context at O*NET.
How many job openings are there each year?
About 2,400 openings a year, from job growth and from workers leaving the occupation, the 510th most of 830 occupations. About 98% of them replace workers who change occupations or leave the labor force; the rest come from the 40 jobs added in an average year.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
How does pay for surface mining excavating and loading machine and dragline operators rank?
The median of $57,430 a year ranks 466th of 825 occupations with a published median. It sits in the lower half of occupations on both pay and openings.
Source: BLS OEWS national file, May 2025. Wage and salary jobs only; the self-employed are not counted. OEWS pay excludes overtime, shift differentials and non-production bonuses. Ranks count only the occupations with that published figure: 830 for projected change, 830 for openings, 825 for median pay, which is why the totals differ.
What does it take to start?
- Typical entry-level education: high school diploma or equivalent.
- Work experience in a related occupation: less than 5 years.
- Typical on-the-job training: moderate-term on-the-job training.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, education and training assignments.
How do related jobs compare on outlook?
| Occupation | Change | Openings a year | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators | +4.6% | 39,200 | $59,850 |
| Construction Laborers | +7.3% | 120,000 | $47,120 |
| Continuous Mining Machine Operators | +3.2% | 1,400 | $61,810 |
| Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining | -15.8% | 400 | $74,500 |
| Pile Driver Operators | -5.7% | 200 | $73,300 |
| Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas | +3.6% | 1,400 | $60,190 |
| Helpers--Extraction Workers | +1.7% | 700 | $47,730 |
| Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators | -0.9% | 3,100 | $53,340 |
Related occupations from O*NET; projections from BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035; pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.