Dredge Operators vs First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators: $50K vs $63K Median Pay

Dredge Operators vs First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators: what changes?

Consider Dredge Operators if you want to operate dredge to remove sand, gravel, or other materials in order to excavate and maintain navigable channels in waterways. Consider First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators if you would rather directly supervise and coordinate activities of material-moving machine and vehicle operators and helpers. Entry credentials differ: Dredge Operators, high school diploma or equivalent; First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators, specialty requirements need verification.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Dredge Operators and First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle 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.

The labor-market benchmark for First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators covers the broader BLS group First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors (53-1047). It does not isolate this specialty.

Compare the practical differences

Dredge Operators

National median pay (2025): $49,640
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; 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: Move levers to position dredges for excavation, to engage hydraulic pumps, to raise and lower suction booms, and to control rotation of cutterheads.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 100

Know before you choose

BLS projects essentially flat employment (0.7%) through 2035. Annual openings mostly reflect replacement, not a rapidly expanding field.

See the full Dredge Operators brief

First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators

National median pay (2025): $62,890
Route into the job: specialty-specific preparation that needs verification with programs and employers; the broader BLS occupation's education category is not a verified route for this specialty
Prior related experience: Prior experience requirements need verification for this occupation.
Training and licensing: Verify the specialty's training, licensing, and full preparation time with an accredited program or employer.
Work to investigate: Enforce safety rules and regulations.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 54,900

Know before you choose

Review the full career brief for day-to-day working conditions.

See the full First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators brief

How the national numbers differ

First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators has the edge on annual openings

First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators is at 54,900 annual openings, compared with 100 annual openings for Dredge Operators.

First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators has the edge on median pay

First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators is at $62,890, compared with $49,640 for Dredge Operators.

First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators has the edge on projected growth

First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators is at 3% projected growth, compared with 0.7% projected growth for Dredge Operators.

Typical preparation differs.

Dredge Operators: High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators: specialty-specific preparation that needs verification with programs and employers; the broader BLS occupation's education category is not a verified route for this specialty Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

29.6/ 100

Dredge Operators

63.1/ 100

First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle 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

Dredge Operators vs First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators

Dimension	Dredge Operators	First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators
Median pay (2025)	$49,640	$62,890
Pay percentile	31.6 percentile	53.2 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	0.7%	3%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	100	54,900
2025 employment	1,300	621,500
How you qualify	High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	specialty-specific preparation that needs verification with programs and employers; the broader BLS occupation's education category is not a verified route for this specialty
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 2	Job Zone 3
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	Prior experience requirements need verification for this occupation.
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.	Verify the specialty's training, licensing, and full preparation time with an accredited program or employer.

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

Read Dredge Operators brief Read First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators brief

Dredge Operators vs First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Dredge Operators

First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators

How the national numbers differ

First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators has the edge on annual openings

First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators has the edge on median pay

First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators has the edge on projected growth

Typical preparation differs.

Dredge Operators vs First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators

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