Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators vs Roof Bolters, Mining: $60K vs $79K Median Pay

Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators vs Roof Bolters, Mining: what changes?

Consider Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators if you want to operate one or several types of power construction equipment, such as motor graders, bulldozers, scrapers, compressors, pumps, derricks, shovels, tractors, or front-end loaders to excavate, move, and grade…. Consider Roof Bolters, Mining if you would rather operate machinery to install roof support bolts in underground mine. Both list high school diploma or equivalent; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators and Roof Bolters, Mining. 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

Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators

National median pay (2025): $59,850
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: Learn and follow safety regulations.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 39,200

Know before you choose

Errors can seriously affect people, equipment, or operations. Checking and accountability are part of the job, not optional polish.

See the full Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators brief

Roof Bolters, Mining

National median pay (2025): $78,540
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: Drill bolt holes into roofs at specified distances from ribs or adjacent bolts.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 100

Know before you choose

BLS projects employment to shrink 18.9% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

See the full Roof Bolters, Mining brief

How the national numbers differ

Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators has the edge on annual openings

Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators is at 39,200 annual openings, compared with 100 annual openings for Roof Bolters, Mining.

Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators has the edge on projected growth

Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators is at 4.6% projected growth, compared with -18.9% projected growth for Roof Bolters, Mining.

Roof Bolters, Mining has the edge on median pay

Roof Bolters, Mining is at $78,540, compared with $59,850 for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators.

68.8/ 100

Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators

33.4/ 100

Roof Bolters, Mining

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

Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators vs Roof Bolters, Mining

Dimension	Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators	Roof Bolters, Mining
Median pay (2025)	$59,850	$78,540
Pay percentile	47.6 percentile	69.9 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	4.6%	-18.9%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	39,200	100
2025 employment	489,500	2,200
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	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
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.

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Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators vs Roof Bolters, Mining: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators

Roof Bolters, Mining

How the national numbers differ

Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators has the edge on annual openings

Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators has the edge on projected growth

Roof Bolters, Mining has the edge on median pay

Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators vs Roof Bolters, Mining

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