Continuous Mining Machine Operators
Median $61,810
Occupation · SOC 47-5044
Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining: pay and where the jobs are
What loading and moving machine operators, underground mining earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$74,500 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $71,240
- Median hourly wage
- $35.82
- Mean hourly wage
- $34.25
- Employment
- 5,930
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 47-5044.
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See where your pay falls among loading and moving machine operators, underground mining nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do loading and moving machine operators, underground mining make?
The median annual wage for loading and moving machine operators, underground mining was $74,500 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $52,030 and the highest-paid 10% more than $87,730. As an hourly rate, the median is $35.82. About 5,930 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Wyoming ($112,110), Alaska ($93,130) and Nevada ($82,920). Wyoming also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for loading and moving machine operators, underground mining 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 | $52,030 | $25.02 | $4,336 | $3,666 |
| 25th percentile | $61,410 | $29.52 | $5,118 | $4,294 |
| Median | $74,500 | $35.82 | $6,208 | $5,103 |
| 75th percentile | $79,150 | $38.05 | $6,596 | $5,376 |
| 90th percentile | $87,730 | $42.18 | $7,311 | $5,879 |
Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining: pay by state
20 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
$94,615 take-home in national prices
2
$72,369 take-home in national prices
3
$67,178 take-home in national prices
Where a median loading and moving machine operators, underground mining paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | 30 | $112,110 | $106,590 | $120,400 | $87,699 | $94,615 |
| Alaska | 50 | $93,130 | $74,460 | $117,340 | $74,076 | $72,369 |
| Nevada | 880 | $82,920 | $68,060 | $91,880 | $67,164 | $67,178 |
| South Carolina | 30 | $80,480 | $56,400 | $80,480 | $62,427 | $66,589 |
| Colorado | 70 | $79,150 | $68,470 | $81,070 | $61,390 | $59,571 |
| Virginia | 190 | $76,900 | $66,210 | $93,120 | $59,322 | $58,674 |
| Illinois | 90 | $75,890 | $65,630 | $87,210 | $58,607 | $58,631 |
| Pennsylvania | Not published | $75,240 | $67,100 | $78,190 | $59,399 | $60,877 |
| West Virginia | 1,250 | $74,950 | $64,120 | $81,100 | $59,014 | $65,939 |
| Arizona | 100 | $72,430 | $57,850 | $79,260 | $58,368 | $57,975 |
| Ohio | 130 | $71,380 | $41,100 | $97,280 | $57,526 | $62,007 |
| New York | 140 | $60,890 | $47,030 | $61,300 | $48,120 | $44,588 |
| Alabama | 510 | $60,020 | $50,720 | $60,240 | $47,896 | $53,923 |
| Michigan | 80 | $59,310 | $47,260 | $70,920 | $47,566 | $49,436 |
| Missouri | 100 | $52,040 | $39,160 | $58,120 | $42,486 | $46,782 |
| Georgia | 100 | $50,380 | $37,760 | $64,210 | $40,895 | $42,469 |
| Louisiana | 110 | $48,670 | $36,930 | $72,360 | $40,212 | $45,589 |
| Iowa | 100 | $48,490 | $46,560 | $59,260 | $39,951 | $45,522 |
| Texas | 70 | $47,310 | $40,220 | $80,720 | $40,194 | $41,412 |
| Oklahoma | 70 | $44,760 | $33,440 | $73,160 | $36,676 | $41,752 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 47-5044. *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.