Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.
Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining salary by state
Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining is a professional role within the function in the Construction and Extraction job family.
What Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Minings do
Typical education: High School Diploma
Move levers, depress foot pedals, and turn dials to operate power machinery, such as power shovels, stripping shovels, scraper loaders, or backhoes.
Set up or inspect equipment prior to operation.
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.
Top skills:Operation and ControlOperations MonitoringMonitoringTroubleshootingTime ManagementSpeaking
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining pay by experience level
Entry level$43,000
Typical starting pay (about the 10th percentile)
Early career$49,500
A few years in (about the 25th percentile)
Experienced$59,500
Mid-career median pay
Senior$68,000
Seasoned professionals (about the 75th percentile)
Top earners$85,500
Highest earners (about the 90th percentile)
Experience tiers are derived from the BLS wage percentile distribution for this occupation, aged to 2026. Actual pay varies by employer, location, and specialization.
Job outlook
-0.4%
projected change in jobs, 2024–2034
3,100
projected openings per year
Declining
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (2024–2034). Openings include growth and replacement needs.
Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining salary by industry
Mining (except Oil and Gas)
20,900 workers
$61,500
Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying
16,740 workers
$59,000
Specialty Trade Contractors
4,850 workers
$64,000
Other Specialty Trade Contractors
3,630 workers
$66,000
Coal Mining
3,190 workers
$71,500
Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction
2,570 workers
$61,500
Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction
1,290 workers
$62,500
Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing
990 workers
$57,000
Metal Ore Mining
970 workers
$68,000
Utility System Construction
890 workers
$62,500
National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.
How this role compares
Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining pays 5% below the average across 63 roles in the Construction and Extraction job family (family average $65,000).
Similar-paying roles in Construction and Extraction
Related occupations from O*NET OnLine, U.S. Department of Labor.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining make?
The average base salary for a Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining in the United States is $62,000 per year, or about $29.81 per hour.
What is the typical salary range?
Pay typically falls between $49,500 and $68,000 per year (25th to 75th percentile) depending on experience, location, industry, and organization size.
How does this compare with other Construction and Extraction roles?
The Construction and Extraction job family averages $65,000 across 63 roles tracked by WePayFairly.
Need a defensible market price for this role? WePayFairly data is compiled from published survey sources and maintained by compensation professionals.
Need Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining pay benchmarked for your organization, or defensible compensation analysis for a dispute or valuation? Grahall builds it from primary sources, backed by an expert who testifies.
