Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining vs Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters: $57K vs $61K Median Pay

Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining vs Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters: what changes?

Consider Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining if you want to operate or tend machinery at surface mining site, equipped with scoops, shovels, or buckets to excavate and load loose materials. Consider Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters if you would rather place and detonate explosives to demolish structures or to loosen, remove, or displace earth, rock, or other materials. Both list high school diploma or equivalent; compare training and prior experience separately. Prior experience in a related occupation is typically needed for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining (less than 5 years) and Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters (less than 5 years).

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining and Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters. 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

Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining

National median pay (2025): $57,430
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years; 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: Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
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, depress foot pedals, and turn dials to operate power machinery, such as power shovels, stripping shovels, scraper loaders, or backhoes.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 2,400

Know before you choose

BLS lists less than 5 years of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

See the full Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining brief

Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters

National median pay (2025): $61,390
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years; More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
Training and licensing: More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 400

Know before you choose

BLS lists less than 5 years of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

See the full Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters brief

How the national numbers differ

Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining has the edge on annual openings

Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining is at 2,400 annual openings, compared with 400 annual openings for Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters.

Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters has the edge on median pay

Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters is at $61,390, compared with $57,430 for Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining.

Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining has the edge on projected growth

Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining is at 1% projected growth, compared with 0% projected growth for Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters.

44.1/ 100

Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining

36.2/ 100

Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters

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

Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining vs Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters

Dimension	Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining	Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters
Median pay (2025)	$57,430	$61,390
Pay percentile	42.6 percentile	50.1 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	1%	0%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	2,400	400
2025 employment	34,700	5,200
How you qualify	High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years; More than 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	Prior related experience: less than 5 years.	Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
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 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 Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining brief Read Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters brief

Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining vs Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining

Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters

How the national numbers differ

Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining has the edge on annual openings

Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters has the edge on median pay

Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining has the edge on projected growth

Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining vs Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters

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