Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas
Median $58,620
Occupation · SOC 47-5032
Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters: pay and where the jobs are
What explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$61,390 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $66,640
- Median hourly wage
- $29.51
- Mean hourly wage
- $32.04
- Employment
- 5,100
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 47-5032.
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How much do explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters make?
The median annual wage for explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters was $61,390 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $40,480 and the highest-paid 10% more than $99,360. As an hourly rate, the median is $29.51. About 5,100 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in New Jersey ($100,520), New York ($96,940) and North Carolina ($85,630). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Wyoming.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $40,480 | $19.46 | $3,373 | $2,892 |
| 25th percentile | $49,630 | $23.86 | $4,136 | $3,505 |
| Median | $61,390 | $29.51 | $5,116 | $4,292 |
| 75th percentile | $80,370 | $38.64 | $6,698 | $5,448 |
| 90th percentile | $99,360 | $47.77 | $8,280 | $6,561 |
Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters: pay by state
32 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$74,092 take-home in national prices
2
$70,143 take-home in national prices
3
$68,673 take-home in national prices
Where a median explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blaster paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | Not published | $100,520 | $83,200 | $113,070 | $74,720 | $68,673 |
| New York | Not published | $96,940 | $72,650 | $123,160 | $71,905 | $66,627 |
| North Carolina | 160 | $85,630 | $60,950 | $104,280 | $66,163 | $70,143 |
| Wyoming | 60 | $85,070 | $59,790 | $88,000 | $68,677 | $74,092 |
| Pennsylvania | Not published | $84,400 | $58,070 | $102,730 | $65,555 | $67,187 |
| California | 220 | $80,370 | $34,320 | $125,930 | $61,096 | $55,181 |
| New Mexico | 80 | $78,960 | $37,300 | $87,360 | $61,833 | $67,055 |
| Tennessee | 70 | $74,190 | $37,400 | $122,450 | $61,023 | $66,423 |
| Florida | 90 | $69,780 | $50,120 | $143,260 | $57,920 | $56,008 |
| Colorado | 140 | $69,640 | $54,870 | $91,550 | $55,160 | $53,526 |
| Utah | 50 | $67,910 | $47,570 | $99,340 | $53,903 | $54,522 |
| Hawaii | 110 | $64,560 | $58,850 | $96,720 | $50,628 | $46,046 |
| Missouri | 150 | $64,040 | $52,040 | $82,140 | $51,564 | $56,777 |
| Virginia | 80 | $63,920 | $51,900 | $80,260 | $50,678 | $50,125 |
| Georgia | 70 | $61,480 | $45,430 | $99,040 | $49,260 | $51,156 |
| Illinois | 110 | $60,520 | $52,420 | $93,180 | $47,957 | $47,977 |
| Nevada | 260 | $60,500 | $50,740 | $90,520 | $50,792 | $50,802 |
| Idaho | Not published | $60,360 | $56,110 | $124,090 | $48,588 | $50,881 |
| Alabama | 100 | $59,820 | $51,700 | $87,560 | $47,744 | $53,752 |
| Maryland | Not published | $59,720 | $45,810 | $106,890 | $47,694 | $45,441 |
| Indiana | 330 | $59,110 | $48,510 | $72,510 | $47,961 | $51,389 |
| South Dakota | Not published | $56,780 | $52,870 | $87,060 | $47,803 | $53,962 |
| Texas | 460 | $56,600 | $36,620 | $83,690 | $47,658 | $49,103 |
| Oklahoma | 330 | $55,180 | $44,300 | $69,280 | $44,580 | $50,749 |
| Arkansas | 90 | $53,120 | $42,080 | $66,270 | $43,384 | $49,903 |
| Wisconsin | 60 | $52,400 | $43,690 | $82,190 | $42,588 | $45,261 |
| Kentucky | 380 | $50,360 | $24,640 | $75,270 | $40,999 | $45,474 |
| West Virginia | 50 | $49,630 | $46,370 | $65,630 | $40,629 | $45,397 |
| Mississippi | 40 | $47,060 | $37,480 | $66,190 | $38,842 | $44,670 |
| Ohio | 120 | $46,630 | $42,700 | $77,320 | $38,808 | $41,831 |
| Louisiana | 130 | $39,900 | $35,030 | $51,680 | $33,429 | $37,898 |
| Iowa | 90 | $39,520 | $37,170 | $55,190 | $33,084 | $37,698 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 47-5032. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.