Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining pay in the U.S.
$59,930avg. a year
$28.81 an hour · 34,480 employed
Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining in the U.S. earn an average of $59,930 a year and a median of $57,430. Pay is highest in New Jersey ($88,110) and lowest in Arkansas ($45,080).
$57,430Median pay
$28.81Average hourly
+24%Avg. pay since 2020
34,480Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
1740 jobs
New Jersey
$88,110
$42.36 an hour
2220 jobs
North Dakota
$88,100
$42.36 an hour
3790 jobs
California
$85,520
$41.12 an hour
4140 jobs
Alaska
$75,720
$36.40 an hour
5280 jobs
Massachusetts
$75,540
$36.32 an hour
6420 jobs
Wyoming
$75,290
$36.20 an hour
71,310 jobs
Illinois
$73,360
$35.27 an hour
8640 jobs
Washington
$71,140
$34.20 an hour
9730 jobs
Nevada
$69,640
$33.48 an hour
10280 jobs
Connecticut
$68,460
$32.92 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL
Under $54k$54k–$58k$58k–$67k$67k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $89,320 | $42.94 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $80,260 | $38.59 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $76,920 | $36.98 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $73,770 | $35.47 |
| Cleveland, OH | $72,280 | $34.75 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $72,190 | $34.71 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | $71,810 | $34.52 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | $70,510 | $33.90 |
Related jobs
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $48,630 | $47,770 | 410 |
| Alaska | $75,720 | $74,680 | 140 |
| Arizona | $65,360 | $60,310 | 560 |
| Arkansas | $45,080 | $46,170 | 250 |
| California | $85,520 | $74,500 | 790 |
| Colorado | $67,370 | $61,020 | 820 |
| Connecticut | $68,460 | $65,710 | 280 |
| Delaware | $53,160 | $46,900 | 130 |
| Florida | $53,840 | $51,990 | 1,480 |
| Georgia | $53,030 | $50,290 | 1,180 |
| Idaho | $58,150 | $58,670 | 190 |
| Illinois | $73,360 | $80,600 | 1,310 |
| Indiana | $65,710 | $61,910 | 1,530 |
| Iowa | $56,370 | $59,390 | 560 |
| Kansas | $51,140 | $48,950 | 270 |
| Kentucky | $52,300 | $47,780 | 790 |
| Louisiana | $49,000 | $53,510 | 280 |
| Maine | $57,470 | $55,890 | 230 |
| Maryland | $57,420 | $57,610 | 730 |
| Massachusetts | $75,540 | $76,070 | 280 |
| Michigan | $58,710 | $59,040 | 880 |
| Minnesota | $65,580 | $61,260 | 520 |
| Mississippi | $48,150 | $48,490 | 290 |
| Missouri | $55,740 | $56,760 | 310 |
| Montana | $66,850 | $65,850 | 150 |
| Nebraska | $55,830 | $58,370 | 300 |
| Nevada | $69,640 | $63,810 | 730 |
| New Hampshire | $61,160 | $58,540 | 350 |
| New Jersey | $88,110 | $80,310 | 740 |
| New Mexico | $67,590 | $76,350 | 270 |
| New York | $61,950 | $58,120 | 1,490 |
| North Carolina | $55,860 | $58,620 | – |
| North Dakota | $88,100 | $90,380 | 220 |
| Ohio | $63,300 | $58,240 | 1,120 |
| Oklahoma | $49,420 | $47,100 | 1,440 |
| Oregon | $63,000 | $61,280 | 310 |
| Pennsylvania | $53,930 | $52,350 | 1,520 |
| Rhode Island | $57,340 | $59,590 | 50 |
| South Carolina | $53,000 | $52,580 | 330 |
| South Dakota | $50,850 | $48,250 | 280 |
| Tennessee | $54,260 | $49,500 | 550 |
| Texas | $51,770 | $49,000 | 5,030 |
| Utah | $56,280 | $54,330 | 400 |
| Vermont | $56,900 | $59,790 | 250 |
| Virginia | $60,280 | $59,480 | 1,150 |
| Washington | $71,140 | $64,270 | 640 |
| West Virginia | $62,500 | $61,330 | 650 |
| Wisconsin | $59,180 | $58,280 | 990 |
| Wyoming | $75,290 | $78,230 | 420 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$53,590
990 jobsHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
$52,790
890 jobsNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$89,320
880 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
$55,670
630 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$80,260
570 jobsSan Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
$51,310
540 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
$60,630
540 jobsAustin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
$54,640
520 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining make?
The average is $59,930 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $57,430 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $28.81, and the median is $27.61 an hour.
Which state pays excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining the most?
New Jersey, with an average of $88,110 a year. The best-paying metro area is New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ at $89,320.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $41,600 a year, and the top 10% earn over $82,400.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 47-5022. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.