Roof Bolters, Mining
Median $78,540
Occupation · SOC 47-5041
Continuous Mining Machine Operators: pay and where the jobs are
What continuous mining machine operators earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$61,810 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $65,050
- Median hourly wage
- $29.72
- Mean hourly wage
- $31.27
- Employment
- 14,000
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 47-5041.
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See where your pay falls among continuous mining machine operators nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do continuous mining machine operators make?
The median annual wage for continuous mining machine operators was $61,810 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $46,770 and the highest-paid 10% more than $86,210. As an hourly rate, the median is $29.72. About 14,000 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Minnesota ($90,820), Nevada ($85,590) and Wyoming ($85,260). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Wyoming.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for continuous mining machine operators 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 | $46,770 | $22.49 | $3,898 | $3,313 |
| 25th percentile | $51,610 | $24.81 | $4,301 | $3,637 |
| Median | $61,810 | $29.72 | $5,151 | $4,320 |
| 75th percentile | $77,570 | $37.29 | $6,464 | $5,283 |
| 90th percentile | $86,210 | $41.45 | $7,184 | $5,790 |
Continuous Mining Machine Operators: pay by state
27 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
$74,236 take-home in national prices
2
$69,057 take-home in national prices
3
$68,616 take-home in national prices
Where a median continuous mining machine operator paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 420 | $90,820 | $59,640 | $102,850 | $67,670 | $68,616 |
| Nevada | 1,110 | $85,590 | $69,680 | $91,210 | $69,043 | $69,057 |
| Wyoming | 330 | $85,260 | $60,520 | $114,540 | $68,810 | $74,236 |
| Colorado | 290 | $81,110 | $73,130 | $81,110 | $62,674 | $60,817 |
| West Virginia | 720 | $77,570 | $59,840 | $90,690 | $60,737 | $67,865 |
| Illinois | 230 | $74,830 | $47,490 | $79,280 | $57,914 | $57,938 |
| Indiana | 170 | $71,570 | $65,850 | $75,520 | $57,098 | $61,179 |
| Virginia | 230 | $63,480 | $48,860 | $79,270 | $50,350 | $49,800 |
| California | 940 | $62,790 | $56,340 | $82,250 | $50,009 | $45,167 |
| Florida | 230 | $62,580 | $40,540 | $67,340 | $52,463 | $50,731 |
| Idaho | 70 | $60,990 | $49,550 | $84,180 | $49,061 | $51,376 |
| Arizona | 2,850 | $60,880 | $49,180 | $78,660 | $49,969 | $49,633 |
| Pennsylvania | 510 | $60,780 | $49,360 | $63,200 | $49,108 | $50,330 |
| Utah | 890 | $59,420 | $49,280 | $77,580 | $47,710 | $48,258 |
| Alabama | 340 | $59,360 | $56,820 | $62,140 | $47,395 | $53,359 |
| North Carolina | 230 | $59,030 | $55,790 | $61,480 | $47,764 | $50,637 |
| Ohio | 260 | $58,030 | $46,800 | $76,370 | $47,655 | $51,367 |
| Michigan | 180 | $57,760 | $49,080 | $79,110 | $46,386 | $48,210 |
| Georgia | 140 | $57,160 | $46,790 | $64,870 | $46,004 | $47,775 |
| Nebraska | 70 | $51,760 | $49,120 | $64,950 | $42,294 | $46,939 |
| Kentucky | 390 | $50,020 | $48,950 | $68,260 | $40,738 | $45,185 |
| Texas | 390 | $48,950 | $24,020 | $63,470 | $41,511 | $42,770 |
| New Mexico | 470 | $48,900 | $38,630 | $61,850 | $40,336 | $43,742 |
| Arkansas | 80 | $47,890 | $33,760 | $66,560 | $39,375 | $45,292 |
| Missouri | 920 | $47,280 | $36,310 | $75,000 | $38,885 | $42,816 |
| Oklahoma | 310 | $46,980 | $39,520 | $57,480 | $38,360 | $43,669 |
| New York | 180 | $46,450 | $38,400 | $63,450 | $37,359 | $34,617 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 47-5041. *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.