Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers vs Continuous Mining Machine Operators: $57K vs $62K Median Pay

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers vs Continuous Mining Machine Operators: what changes?

Consider Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers if you want to smooth and finish surfaces of poured concrete, such as floors, walks, sidewalks, roads, or curbs using a variety of hand and power tools. Consider Continuous Mining Machine Operators if you would rather operate self-propelled mining machines that rip coal, metal and nonmetal ores, rock, stone, or sand from the mine face and load it onto conveyors, shuttle cars, or trucks in a continuous operation. Both list no formal educational credential; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers and Continuous Mining Machine Operators. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers

National median pay (2025): $57,020
Route into the job: No formal educational credential; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Check the forms that hold the concrete to see that they are properly constructed.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 13,600

Know before you choose

The work can involve real occupational hazards. Training, protective equipment, and routine safety discipline matter every day.

See the full Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers brief

Continuous Mining Machine Operators

National median pay (2025): $61,810
Route into the job: No formal educational credential; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Hang ventilation tubing and ventilation curtains to ensure that the mining face area is kept properly ventilated.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 1,400

Know before you choose

This is a small national occupation (14,000 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

See the full Continuous Mining Machine Operators brief

How the national numbers differ

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers has the edge on annual openings

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers is at 13,600 annual openings, compared with 1,400 annual openings for Continuous Mining Machine Operators.

Continuous Mining Machine Operators has the edge on projected growth

Continuous Mining Machine Operators is at 3.2% projected growth, compared with 1.6% projected growth for Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers.

Continuous Mining Machine Operators has the edge on median pay

Continuous Mining Machine Operators is at $61,810, compared with $57,020 for Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers.

55.5/ 100

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers

48.3/ 100

Continuous Mining Machine Operators

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers vs Continuous Mining Machine Operators

Dimension	Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers	Continuous Mining Machine Operators
Median pay (2025)	$57,020	$61,810
Pay percentile	42.3 percentile	51.2 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	1.6%	3.2%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	13,600	1,400
2025 employment	204,800	14,000
How you qualify	No formal educational credential; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	No formal educational credential; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 2	Job Zone 2
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers brief Read Continuous Mining Machine Operators brief

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers vs Continuous Mining Machine Operators: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers

Continuous Mining Machine Operators

How the national numbers differ

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers has the edge on annual openings

Continuous Mining Machine Operators has the edge on projected growth

Continuous Mining Machine Operators has the edge on median pay

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers vs Continuous Mining Machine Operators

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