Underground Mining Machine Operators, All Other
Underground Mining Machine Operators, All Other (SOC 47-5049) earn a median $70,130 a year ($33.72 an hour) in the United States, with 3,180 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is Alaska.
What underground mining machine operators, all other do
This residual code covers underground mining machine operators who are not listed separately; the SOC defines it in a single line as all underground mining machine operators not listed separately. By implication it takes operators whose equipment or duties do not fit continuous mining machine operators (47-5041), roof bolters (47-5043) or loading and moving machine operators (47-5044). The titles attached to it, such as coal miner, copper miner, belt operator, clay mine cutting machine operator, coal trimmer machine operator, digging machine operator and drilling machine operator, show the variety of minerals and equipment involved. Neither SOC nor O*NET publishes a task list for this code, so the description rests on the group definition and the title list. Surface mining equipment operators have their own code (47-5022), and extraction helpers (47-5081) and extraction workers, all other (47-5099) are separate occupations.
Also called: Belt Operator, Clay Mine Cutting Machine Operator, Coal Miner, Coal Trimmer Machine Operator, Copper Miner.
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $23.57 | $24.84 | $33.72 | $39.96 | $40.87 | $33.59 | 3,180 |
| Annual | $49,020 | $51,670 | $70,130 | $83,120 | $85,010 | $69,860 | ||
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 underground mining machine operators, all other 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 | ||||||
| Alaska | Hourly | $43.10 | $43.43 | $51.36 | $58.34 | $76.08 | $52.70 | 70 | 0.21 | 10.07 |
| Annual | $89,650 | $90,340 | $106,840 | $121,350 | $158,240 | $109,610 | ||||
| Montana | Hourly | $38.38 | $38.38 | $40.58 | $40.59 | $41.10 | $39.49 | ** | ** | ** |
| Annual | $79,820 | $79,820 | $84,410 | $84,430 | $85,480 | $82,140 | ||||
| Minnesota | Hourly | $24.71 | $24.75 | $39.96 | $40.86 | $40.87 | $34.46 | 930 | 0.31 | 15.39 |
| Annual | $51,400 | $51,470 | $83,120 | $85,000 | $85,010 | $71,670 | ||||
| Illinois | Hourly | $28.41 | $29.12 | $35.00 | $37.74 | $39.74 | $34.97 | 70 | 0.01 | 0.52 |
| Annual | $59,090 | $60,560 | $72,800 | $78,500 | $82,660 | $72,740 | ||||
| Utah | Hourly | $23.57 | $23.57 | $32.31 | $35.48 | $35.48 | $30.18 | 180 | 0.11 | 5.19 |
| Annual | $49,020 | $49,020 | $67,200 | $73,800 | $73,800 | $62,770 | ||||
Five states with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Minnesota | Hourly | $24.71 | $24.75 | $39.96 | $40.86 | $40.87 | $34.46 | 930 | 0.31 | 15.39 |
| Annual | $51,400 | $51,470 | $83,120 | $85,000 | $85,010 | $71,670 | ||||
| West Virginia | Hourly | $29.76 | $30.56 | $31.54 | $38.91 | $39.27 | $34.33 | 240 | 0.35 | 17.06 |
| Annual | $61,910 | $63,560 | $65,610 | $80,930 | $81,680 | $71,400 | ||||
| Utah | Hourly | $23.57 | $23.57 | $32.31 | $35.48 | $35.48 | $30.18 | 180 | 0.11 | 5.19 |
| Annual | $49,020 | $49,020 | $67,200 | $73,800 | $73,800 | $62,770 | ||||
| Alaska | Hourly | $43.10 | $43.43 | $51.36 | $58.34 | $76.08 | $52.70 | 70 | 0.21 | 10.07 |
| Annual | $89,650 | $90,340 | $106,840 | $121,350 | $158,240 | $109,610 | ||||
| Illinois | Hourly | $28.41 | $29.12 | $35.00 | $37.74 | $39.74 | $34.97 | 70 | 0.01 | 0.52 |
| Annual | $59,090 | $60,560 | $72,800 | $78,500 | $82,660 | $72,740 | ||||
Five highest-paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Wheeling, WV-OH | Hourly | $30.92 | $31.26 | $31.54 | $31.54 | $39.51 | $32.83 | 60 | 1.03 | 50.43 |
| Annual | $64,310 | $65,020 | $65,610 | $65,610 | $82,180 | $68,280 | ||||
Five metropolitan areas with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Wheeling, WV-OH | Hourly | $30.92 | $31.26 | $31.54 | $31.54 | $39.51 | $32.83 | 60 | 1.03 | 50.43 |
| Annual | $64,310 | $65,020 | $65,610 | $65,610 | $82,180 | $68,280 | ||||
Top industries employing underground mining machine operators, all other
Metal Ore Mining employ 49.1% of underground mining machine operators, all other nationally (1,560 jobs) at a median $80,140 a year ($38.53 an hour), followed by Coal Mining (22.6%) and Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying (5.3%).
| Industry | Employment | Share of occupation | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metal Ore Mining NAICS 212200 | 1,560 | 49.1% | $80,140 | $38.53 |
| Coal Mining NAICS 212100 | 720 | 22.6% | $73,820 | $35.49 |
| Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying NAICS 212300 | 170 | 5.3% | $55,570 | $26.71 |
Share is the industry's employment over the occupation's national employment (3,180). Industries whose employment BLS withheld are not ranked.
Published medians, May 2021 to May 2025
BLS published a median annual wage of $61,260 for underground mining machine operators, all other in May 2021 and $70,130 in May 2025, with employment of 3,150 and 3,180.
| Release | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $61,260 | $29.45 | 3,150 |
| May 2022 | $64,180 | $30.86 | 2,270 |
| May 2023 | $68,910 | $33.13 | 2,560 |
| May 2024 | $67,220 | $32.32 | 3,480 |
| May 2025 | $70,130 | $33.72 | 3,180 |
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
9 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 | Alaska profile | $51.36 | $106,840 | $89,650 | $158,240 | 70 | 0.21 | 10.07 |
| 2 | Montana profile | $40.58 | $84,410 | $79,820 | $85,480 | ** | ** | ** |
| 3 | Minnesota profile | $39.96 | $83,120 | $51,400 | $85,010 | 930 | 0.31 | 15.39 |
| 4 | Illinois profile | $35.00 | $72,800 | $59,090 | $82,660 | 70 | 0.01 | 0.52 |
| 5 | Utah profile | $32.31 | $67,200 | $49,020 | $73,800 | 180 | 0.11 | 5.19 |
| 6 | West Virginia profile | $31.54 | $65,610 | $61,910 | $81,680 | 240 | 0.35 | 17.06 |
| 7 | Virginia profile | $29.81 | $61,990 | $49,950 | $93,590 | 50 | 0.01 | 0.57 |
| 8 | Nevada profile | $28.76 | $59,810 | $48,130 | $87,830 | ** | ** | ** |
| 9 | Pennsylvania profile | $26.19 | $54,480 | $48,190 | $70,190 | 50 | 0.01 | 0.41 |
Related occupations
Occupations in the same SOC broad group (47-5040), with their national median annual wage.
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 47-5049 Underground Mining Machine Operators, All Other.
**- 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 47-5049, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 47-5049.00, 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.