Occupations · Construction and Extraction
Continuous Mining Machine Operators
Operate self-propelled mining machines that rip coal, metal and nonmetal ores, rock, stone, or sand from the mine face and load it onto conveyors, shuttle cars, or trucks in a continuous operation.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 47-5041.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 77% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| St. Louis, MO-IL | $38,010 | 230 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $63,850 | 190 |
| Wheeling, WV-OH | $65,620 | 150 |
| Beckley, WV | $62,900 | 140 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | $37,850 | 130 |
| Charleston, WV | $63,860 | 90 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: No formal educational credential · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- Hang ventilation tubing and ventilation curtains to ensure that the mining face area is kept properly ventilated.
- Conduct methane gas checks to ensure breathing quality of air.
- Check the stability of roof and rib support systems before mining face areas.
- Operate mining machines to gather coal and convey it to floors or shuttle cars.
- Drive machines into position at working faces.
- Move controls to start and regulate movement of conveyors and to start and position drill cutters or torches.
- Reposition machines to make additional holes or cuts.
- Determine locations, boundaries, and depths of holes or channels to be cut.
- Install casings to prevent cave-ins.
- Observe and listen to equipment operation to detect binding or stoppage of tools or other equipment malfunctions.
- Scrape or wash conveyors, using belt scrapers or belt washers, to minimize dust production.
- Move levers to raise and lower hydraulic safety bars supporting roofs above machines until other workers complete framing.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2016-07
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2016-07
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
Tasks O*NET flags as emerging
- Check the stability of roof and rib support systems before mining face areas.
- Conduct methane gas checks to ensure breathing quality of air.
- Hang ventilation tubing and ventilation curtains to ensure that the mining face area is kept properly ventilated.
O*NET 20.3 emerging tasks
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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What changed since 2015
Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning.
Now listed 5
Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.
Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| underground heavy equipment operator | 8111.4 | exact |
| surface mine plant operator | 8342.10 | close |
| surface miner | 8111.3 | close |
| underground miner | 8111.5 | close |
| mining assistant | 9311.1 | close |
| scraper operator | 8342.8 | close |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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