Construction & Extraction

Mining Machine Operators

SOC 47-5044

Run the machines that cut and load coal and ore underground.

The job

Median pay

$75k

$61k to $79k typical range

Outlook, 2025 to 2035

Declining

-16% projected

Openings a year

400

BLS projection

Typical education

No formal credential

Our model

AI displacement risk

Moderate

How much of this job AI may do instead of the person

Works with AI

7/100

AI alongside the person rather than instead of them

AI exposure

43rd pct

More exposed than 43% of occupations · modeled estimate · 11th pct in Microsoft's data

Future-proof

39/100

Take the next step

Weigh it against Crane & Tower OperatorsPay, outlook, entry and AI exposure side by side See where it pays mostWyoming leads at $112k; every state is below Find careers like itOpen the map at Mining Machine Operators and explore its neighbours See open jobsMining Machine Operators roles hiring now Learn the skillsCourses for Mining Machine Operators, who lean most on active listening Real pay & reviewsWhat Mining Machine Operators say they actually earn

Key skills

Active Listening
Speaking
Critical Thinking
Reading Comprehension
Monitoring
Active Learning

Pay and jobs by state

BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's. A tilde marks a figure estimated from the parent occupation group where BLS publishes none.

State	Jobs	Per 1,000	vs national	Median pay
West Virginia	1,250	1.8	46.7×	$75k
Nevada	880	0.6	14.9×	$83k
California	621	0.0	0.9×	$90k~
Alabama	510	0.2	6.3×	$60k
Florida	426	0.0	1.1×	$62k~
Pennsylvania	202	0.0	0.9×	$75k~
Virginia	190	0.0	1.2×	$77k
North Carolina	182	0.0	1.0×	$62k~
Washington	155	0.0	1.1×	$94k~
New York	140	0.0	0.4×	$61k

All 51 states

State	Jobs	Per 1,000	vs national	Median pay
Indiana	134	0.0	1.1×	$77k~
Ohio	130	0.0	0.6×	$71k
Massachusetts	123	0.0	0.9×	$97k~
New Jersey	117	0.0	0.7×	$92k~
Tennessee	116	0.0	0.9×	$63k~
Minnesota	113	0.0	1.0×	$91k~
Louisiana	110	0.1	1.5×	$49k
Wisconsin	108	0.0	1.0×	$80k~
Utah	105	0.1	1.6×	$72k~
Maryland	103	0.0	1.0×	$75k~
Arizona	100	0.0	0.8×	$72k
Georgia	100	0.0	0.5×	$50k
Iowa	100	0.1	1.7×	$48k
Missouri	100	0.0	0.9×	$52k
Illinois	90	0.0	0.4×	$76k
Oregon	82	0.0	1.1×	$83k~
Michigan	80	0.0	0.5×	$59k
Kentucky	71	0.0	0.9×	$67k~
Colorado	70	0.0	0.6×	$79k
Oklahoma	70	0.0	1.1×	$45k
Texas	70	0.0	0.1×	$47k
Kansas	57	0.0	1.0×	$69k~
New Mexico	54	0.1	1.6×	$62k~
Idaho	52	0.1	1.6×	$70k~
Alaska	50	0.2	4.0×	$93k
Arkansas	49	0.0	1.0×	$57k~
Connecticut	47	0.0	0.7×	$90k~
Nebraska	47	0.0	1.2×	$67k~
Mississippi	46	0.0	1.0×	$59k~
North Dakota	32	0.1	1.9×	$77k~
Maine	30	0.0	1.2×	$75k~
South Carolina	30	0.0	0.3×	$80k
Wyoming	30	0.1	2.8×	$112k
Montana	29	0.1	1.5×	$76k~
Hawaii	27	0.0	1.1×	$103k~
New Hampshire	24	0.0	0.9×	$75k~
South Dakota	24	0.1	1.4×	$63k~
Delaware	17	0.0	0.9×	$74k~
Rhode Island	17	0.0	0.9×	$79k~
Vermont	13	0.0	1.1×	$75k~
Washington DC	12	0.0	0.5×	$88k~

Top metro areas

Beckley, WV200 jobs · $74k median
Wheeling, WV-OH140 jobs · $81k median
Tuscaloosa, AL120 jobs · $58k median
Baton Rouge, LA40 jobs · $48k median
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC30 jobs · $80k median

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Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.