Occupations · Construction and Extraction
Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining
Operate or tend machinery at surface mining site, equipped with scoops, shovels, or buckets to excavate and load loose materials.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 47-5022.00
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 17% between 2019 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 |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $94,470 | 1,140 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $47,390 | 860 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $49,690 | 840 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $60,720 | 720 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $51,720 | 640 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | $50,280 | 620 |
| Austin-Round Rock, TX | $50,020 | 420 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $79,830 | 390 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $63,680 | 390 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $65,060 | 370 |
| Charleston-North Charleston, SC | $40,230 | 310 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $48,940 | 300 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: High school diploma or equivalent · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- Set up or inspect equipment prior to operation.
- Move levers, depress foot pedals, and turn dials to operate power machinery, such as power shovels, stripping shovels, scraper loaders, or backhoes.
- Become familiar with digging plans, machine capabilities and limitations, and efficient and safe digging procedures in a given application.
- Observe hand signals, grade stakes, or other markings when operating machines so that work can be performed to specifications.
- Operate machinery to perform activities such as backfilling excavations, vibrating or breaking rock or concrete, or making winter roads.
- Receive written or oral instructions regarding material movement or excavation.
- Direct workers engaged in placing blocks or outriggers to prevent capsizing of machines when lifting heavy loads.
- Move materials over short distances, such as around a construction site, factory, or warehouse.
- Measure and verify levels of rock or gravel, bases, or other excavated material.
- Create or maintain inclines or ramps.
- Lubricate, adjust, or repair machinery and replace parts, such as gears, bearings, or bucket teeth.
- Direct ground workers engaged in activities such as moving stakes or markers, or changing positions of towers.
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 2013-07
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2013-07
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
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 2020
Comparing O*NET release 25.1 (2020-11-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning. 1 entries that were only relabelled between releases are left out.
Now listed 1
No longer listed 2
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 |
|---|---|---|
| mining assistant | 9311.1 | close |
| excavator operator | 8342.3 | close |
| scraper operator | 8342.8 | close |
| bulldozer operator | 8342.1 | close |
| surface miner | 8111.3 | broader |
| surface mine plant operator | 8342.10 | broader |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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