Rock Splitters, Quarry
Rock Splitters, Quarry (SOC 47-5051) earn a median $48,740 a year ($23.44 an hour) in the United States, with 3,320 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is Massachusetts.
What rock splitters, quarry do
Rock splitters in quarries separate blocks of rough dimension stone from the quarry mass using jackhammers, wedges or chop saws. They study the stone to locate grain line patterns that show how it will split, and mark dimensions or outlines on the stone with rules and chalk lines before cutting. Pieces of stone are removed from larger masses with jackhammers, wedges and other tools. Wedges and feathers are inserted into holes, and the wedges are driven with sledgehammers to split stone sections away from the mass. Job titles include quarry plug and feather driller, quarry chop saw operator and rock breaker. The blocks they remove are rough dimension stone, which other workers later shape and set. Stonemasons (47-2022) build structures from stone, and earth drillers (47-5023) operate drills for purposes such as core samples, tapping water and salt deposits, or placing explosives, so both are classified apart.
Typical entry: According to O*NET, the most common education level reported is less than a high school diploma, with skills learned on the job.
Also called: Driller, Quarry Chop Saw Operator, Quarry Driller, Quarry Plug and Feather Driller, Quarry Worker.
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $17.95 | $20.51 | $23.44 | $28.86 | $32.55 | $24.76 | 3,320 |
| Annual | $37,340 | $42,670 | $48,740 | $60,030 | $67,710 | $51,500 | ||
Employment per 1,000 jobs and the location quotient are area measures; they appear in the state and metro tables below. To see what a wage in this range leaves after tax, use FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Where rock splitters, quarry earn and work most
Five highest-paying states
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Massachusetts | Hourly | $21.57 | $23.21 | $31.73 | $34.11 | $34.56 | $28.94 | 90 | 0.02 | 1.13 |
| Annual | $44,870 | $48,280 | $66,000 | $70,940 | $71,880 | $60,190 | ||||
| Vermont | Hourly | $29.02 | $31.45 | $31.45 | $33.39 | $37.94 | $31.51 | ** | ** | ** |
| Annual | $60,360 | $65,420 | $65,420 | $69,440 | $78,920 | $65,530 | ||||
| Wisconsin | Hourly | $26.81 | $27.01 | $29.81 | $42.47 | $44.87 | $34.32 | 40 | 0.01 | 0.61 |
| Annual | $55,770 | $56,180 | $62,000 | $88,340 | $93,320 | $71,380 | ||||
| California | Hourly | $23.86 | $25.32 | $29.63 | $36.19 | $42.97 | $32.05 | 290 | 0.02 | 0.75 |
| Annual | $49,620 | $52,660 | $61,620 | $75,260 | $89,380 | $66,660 | ||||
| Missouri | Hourly | $19.51 | $27.27 | $29.32 | $31.27 | $34.00 | $28.34 | 280 | 0.10 | 4.51 |
| Annual | $40,580 | $56,720 | $60,990 | $65,040 | $70,710 | $58,950 | ||||
Five states with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Kentucky | Hourly | $18.42 | $19.28 | $21.16 | $23.42 | $25.43 | $21.73 | 310 | 0.16 | 7.27 |
| Annual | $38,310 | $40,100 | $44,000 | $48,710 | $52,890 | $45,210 | ||||
| Tennessee | Hourly | $18.31 | $21.42 | $23.16 | $27.35 | $28.86 | $23.35 | 300 | 0.09 | 4.28 |
| Annual | $38,090 | $44,550 | $48,160 | $56,880 | $60,030 | $48,570 | ||||
| California | Hourly | $23.86 | $25.32 | $29.63 | $36.19 | $42.97 | $32.05 | 290 | 0.02 | 0.75 |
| Annual | $49,620 | $52,660 | $61,620 | $75,260 | $89,380 | $66,660 | ||||
| Missouri | Hourly | $19.51 | $27.27 | $29.32 | $31.27 | $34.00 | $28.34 | 280 | 0.10 | 4.51 |
| Annual | $40,580 | $56,720 | $60,990 | $65,040 | $70,710 | $58,950 | ||||
| Pennsylvania | Hourly | $21.22 | $22.54 | $23.36 | $26.23 | $31.17 | $24.80 | 260 | 0.04 | 1.98 |
| Annual | $44,140 | $46,880 | $48,580 | $54,560 | $64,840 | $51,590 | ||||
Five highest-paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| St. Louis, MO-IL | Hourly | $29.22 | $29.32 | $29.32 | $31.49 | $34.24 | $30.17 | 100 | 0.07 | 3.44 |
| Annual | $60,780 | $60,990 | $60,990 | $65,490 | $71,220 | $62,750 | ||||
| Springfield, MO | Hourly | $14.70 | $19.24 | $26.41 | $29.09 | $29.09 | $25.40 | 30 | 0.16 | 7.32 |
| Annual | $30,570 | $40,020 | $54,930 | $60,520 | $60,520 | $52,840 | ||||
| Bloomington, IN | Hourly | $18.10 | $18.10 | $23.58 | $23.73 | $29.21 | $22.29 | 40 | 0.50 | 23.62 |
| Annual | $37,650 | $37,650 | $49,040 | $49,360 | $60,750 | $46,370 | ||||
Five metropolitan areas with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| St. Louis, MO-IL | Hourly | $29.22 | $29.32 | $29.32 | $31.49 | $34.24 | $30.17 | 100 | 0.07 | 3.44 |
| Annual | $60,780 | $60,990 | $60,990 | $65,490 | $71,220 | $62,750 | ||||
| Bloomington, IN | Hourly | $18.10 | $18.10 | $23.58 | $23.73 | $29.21 | $22.29 | 40 | 0.50 | 23.62 |
| Annual | $37,650 | $37,650 | $49,040 | $49,360 | $60,750 | $46,370 | ||||
| Springfield, MO | Hourly | $14.70 | $19.24 | $26.41 | $29.09 | $29.09 | $25.40 | 30 | 0.16 | 7.32 |
| Annual | $30,570 | $40,020 | $54,930 | $60,520 | $60,520 | $52,840 | ||||
Top industries employing rock splitters, quarry
Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying employ 83.4% of rock splitters, quarry nationally (2,770 jobs) at a median $48,740 a year ($23.44 an hour), followed by Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing (8.1%).
| Industry | Employment | Share of occupation | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying NAICS 212300 | 2,770 | 83.4% | $48,740 | $23.44 |
| Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing NAICS 327000 | 270 | 8.1% | $53,320 | $25.64 |
Share is the industry's employment over the occupation's national employment (3,320). Industries whose employment BLS withheld are not ranked.
Published medians, May 2021 to May 2025
BLS published a median annual wage of $37,700 for rock splitters, quarry in May 2021 and $48,740 in May 2025, with employment of 4,450 and 3,320.
| Release | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $37,700 | $18.12 | 4,450 |
| May 2022 | $46,010 | $22.12 | 3,910 |
| May 2023 | $46,530 | $22.37 | 3,610 |
| May 2024 | $47,460 | $22.82 | 3,080 |
| May 2025 | $48,740 | $23.44 | 3,320 |
BLS does not design OEWS as a time series: each release pools three years of samples, and occupational classifications, area definitions and estimation methods change between releases, so a difference between two releases is not a measure of change over time. The figures are shown as published, side by side, and nothing is computed from them. See how often OEWS is updated.
Every state, by median wage
20 states and DC publish a row for this occupation. A linked state has its own page with the within-state metro table and comparison; the others appear here only.
| Rank | State | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts profile | $31.73 | $66,000 | $44,870 | $71,880 | 90 | 0.02 | 1.13 |
| 2 | Vermont profile | $31.45 | $65,420 | $60,360 | $78,920 | ** | ** | ** |
| 3 | Wisconsin profile | $29.81 | $62,000 | $55,770 | $93,320 | 40 | 0.01 | 0.61 |
| 4 | California profile | $29.63 | $61,620 | $49,620 | $89,380 | 290 | 0.02 | 0.75 |
| 5 | Missouri profile | $29.32 | $60,990 | $40,580 | $70,710 | 280 | 0.10 | 4.51 |
| 6 | Oregon profile | $28.73 | $59,760 | $49,920 | $80,460 | 50 | 0.03 | 1.21 |
| 7 | Minnesota profile | $27.87 | $57,970 | $53,080 | $61,690 | 80 | 0.03 | 1.23 |
| 8 | North Carolina profile | $27.08 | $56,320 | $45,650 | $68,000 | 80 | 0.02 | 0.77 |
| 9 | Indiana profile | $23.99 | $49,890 | $37,750 | $66,580 | 220 | 0.07 | 3.16 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania profile | $23.36 | $48,580 | $44,140 | $64,840 | 260 | 0.04 | 1.98 |
| 11 | Ohio profile | $23.34 | $48,560 | $39,480 | $53,340 | 50 | 0.01 | 0.40 |
| 12 | Tennessee profile | $23.16 | $48,160 | $38,090 | $60,030 | 300 | 0.09 | 4.28 |
| 13 | Colorado profile | $22.40 | $46,590 | $45,230 | $55,540 | 100 | 0.03 | 1.56 |
| 14 | Montana profile | $22.24 | $46,260 | $38,520 | $58,570 | 100 | 0.19 | 8.73 |
| 15 | Oklahoma profile | $21.66 | $45,040 | $28,510 | $56,500 | 200 | 0.12 | 5.61 |
| 16 | Kentucky profile | $21.16 | $44,000 | $38,310 | $52,890 | 310 | 0.16 | 7.27 |
| 17 | Kansas profile | $20.46 | $42,560 | $37,700 | $46,280 | ** | ** | ** |
| 18 | Georgia profile | $20.35 | $42,320 | $33,410 | $52,940 | 30 | 0.01 | 0.33 |
| 19 | Idaho profile | $17.25 | $35,880 | $29,950 | $45,120 | 90 | 0.11 | 5.03 |
| – | Arkansas profile | * | * | * | * | 150 | 0.11 | 5.36 |
Part of Construction and Extraction Occupations. Compare any area in the wage explorer.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS 47-5051 Rock Splitters, Quarry.
*- Wage estimate not available.
**- Employment estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Top industries: nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx in oesm25in4.zip (BLS OEWS May 2025, national, 4-digit NAICS, cross-ownership). Employment is the industry's rounded total for this occupation; industries whose employment BLS withheld (**) are not ranked.
- Published medians: national_M2021_dl.xlsx to national_M2024_dl.xlsx in oesm21nat.zip to oesm24nat.zip (BLS OEWS May 2021 to May 2024, national, cross-industry, all ownerships) and the May 2025 spine. Each release is shown as published; nothing is computed between them.
Sources
- BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018, definition of 47-5051, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 47-5051.00, National Center for O*NET Development, USDOL/ETA (CC BY 4.0).
- OEWS May 2025 national industry-specific estimates, 4-digit NAICS (oesm25in4.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2021 national estimates (oesm21nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2022 national estimates (oesm22nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2023 national estimates (oesm23nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2024 national estimates (oesm24nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2025 national estimates (oesm25nat.zip), the site's data spine, US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
Includes information from O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Description written 2026-10-17 in our own words from the sources above.