Occupation overview

Continuous Mining Machine Operators Salary in the United States

The median annual wage for continuous mining machine operators is $61,810, or $29.72 per hour. About 14,000 people work in this occupation nationwide. Wages vary substantially by state — from $90,820 in Minnesota to $46,450 in New York.

Median annual
$61,810
Median hourly
$29.72
Entry level (P10)
$46,770
Top 10% (P90)
$86,210
Employment
14,000
States covered
27

Wage distribution nationwide

Earnings spread across all U.S. workers in this occupation.

10th percentile90th percentile
$46,770
$51,610
$61,810
$77,570
$46,770$61,810$86,210
Annual wage distribution. Highlighted segment contains the median of $61,810.

Salary by state

All 27 states with published data, ranked by median annual wage.

#StateMedian annual Median hourlyEmployment Location quotient
1Minnesota$90,820$43.664201.58
2Nevada$85,590$41.151,1107.95
3Wyoming$85,260$40.9933013.03
4Colorado$81,110$38.992901.14
5West Virginia$77,570$37.2972011.45
6Illinois$74,830$35.982300.42
7Indiana$71,570$34.411700.58
8Virginia$63,480$30.522300.63
9California$62,790$30.199400.57
10Florida$62,580$30.092300.25
11Idaho$60,990$29.32700.91
12Arizona$60,880$29.272,8509.76
13Pennsylvania$60,780$29.225100.93
14Utah$59,420$28.578905.72
15Alabama$59,360$28.543401.81
16North Carolina$59,030$28.382300.52
17Ohio$58,030$27.902600.51
18Michigan$57,760$27.771800.45
19Georgia$57,160$27.481400.32
20Nebraska$51,760$24.88700.79
21Kentucky$50,020$24.053902.18
22Texas$48,950$23.533900.31
23New Mexico$48,900$23.514706.06
24Arkansas$47,890$23.03800.68
25Missouri$47,280$22.739203.47
26Oklahoma$46,980$22.593102.04
27New York$46,450$22.331800.21

Related occupations

Same job family, ranked by national employment.

Frequently asked questions

How much do continuous mining machine operators make?

The median annual wage for continuous mining machine operators in the United States is $61,810, or $29.72 per hour. Entry-level workers (10th percentile) earn $46,770, and the top 10% earn $86,210.

How many continuous mining machine operators are employed in the U.S.?

About 14,000 people work as continuous mining machine operators nationwide.

Which state pays continuous mining machine operators the most?

Minnesota pays the most at a median of $90,820, followed by Nevada ($85,590) and Wyoming ($85,260).

Which state pays continuous mining machine operators the least?

New York has the lowest median at $46,450.

Where are continuous mining machine operators jobs most concentrated?

The location quotient measures employment concentration relative to the national average. The highest is Wyoming at 13.03×.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025. Retrieved 2026-10-26. bls.gov/oes